RoomMates
by RainDancer
Summary: Oh no! Draco and Hermione are forced to live together in a Muggle House as part of a school project! Chaos ensues featuring The Little Mermaid, Draco's Fuzzy Kitten, Gingerbread Houses, Dumbledore as a D.J., InterHouse Truth or Dare, and more! RR
1. Chapter One: Dinner, Sorting, Giggling,

Ok, this story is about two students (haha bet you can't guess who! lol yeah right…) having to live with each other in a muggle house for a school project. Sparks will fly, but not until later chapters. I want you all to PLEASE read and review, I'm not very good at summaries, but I hope you'll find this a little interesting. The story is pretty boring in the beginning, but I PROMISE it will get better later on!  
  
  
  
Main Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy  
  
Year at Hogwarts: 6th, date is December 10th, (sorry if I don't have the proper dates)  
  
Ages: Hermione: 16, Draco: 16  
  
Spoilers: None really, at least not until later chapters  
  
Genre: Romance later on, just pretty much bitterness and tension for now :)  
  
Rating: PG for now, may increase in later chappies  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter! JK Rowling owns it all! Sadly, I only have this plot! (  
  
Okay here we go folks, strap on your seat belts...he he.  
  
  
  
Chapter One: Dinner, Sorting, Giggling, Orange Jell-O, and Snowflakes  
  
  
  
Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table during dinner, bored with today's events. Tonight was Friday, which meant tomorrow would be Saturday, and that also meant the first day of winter break.  
  
  
  
Nothing unusual happened this year yet, and Hogwarts was approaching Christmastime, which was also the time of the Yule Ball. Now in 6th year, Harry Potter had defeated Voldemort last year for the final time, so naturally, nothing odd was going on, and, since the Yule Ball was coming up, the boy's were busy worrying about getting dates then spending as much time with Hermione.  
  
  
  
She didn't really mind the boy's ignoring her though. She knew that they weren't going to ignore her forever, but every year at this time since 4th year, the boys would go stir crazy. Last year Hermione ended up going with Ron since he didn't have a date, and she had to turn down Seamus because of this. Everyone knew she had a crush on Ron in 4th year, but she truly did want to go with Seamus. Ron knew this, but he still wasn't very happy. In the end, Hermione decided to give in and go with Ron last year, and she really hoped it wouldn't be the case again this year.  
  
  
  
Hermione looked over at the Slytherin table for a change. Malfoy was sitting at the head of the table looking very smug as always, Pansy clutching to his arm. Pansy noticed her staring and looked at her icily, clearly saying with her eyes that Draco was hers, all hers. Hermione looked away, clearly sickened at the thought of dating a Malfoy.  
  
  
  
Hermione briefly had an idea of just leaving dinner early and heading to the library, but it quickly wore away. Truthfully, she was getting bored with the books in the library; they were all the same, really. These days when she goes she usually just reads Hogwarts: a History. Besides, she had all of her work for winter break completed, and even a few extra credit assignments written.  
  
  
  
She looked out the window, with the snowflakes drifting from the trees, causing her thoughts to stray back to the Yule Ball. Truth be told, in 4th year she had outdone herself pretty well, and since then she still liked the feeling of being done up once in a while. Of course, she did look quite nice last year, but she didn't do anything new. She even wore the same dress robes. What with everything completed, she decided that tomorrow morning she was heading to Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions to buy a new dress robe.  
  
  
  
She stared down at her peas and chicken, Ron and Harry were talking about Quidditch as always. Seamus chucked peas at Dean, and Hermione snorted into her mashed potatoes, slightly amused. She was grateful when she heard Dumbledore clear his throat. She looked up at him to listen.  
  
"Now students, as you all may know, Voldemort is no longer with us, so there really isn't much to worry about or plan for. So, the faculty and I decided it would be a bit of fun to come up with something new."  
  
  
  
Several cheers erupted from the Great Hall from that comment; it was true that the year was going pretty dry. Sirius was finally cleared of charges, and has proper visitation rights for Harry. Hermione was absolutely ecstatic that something interesting was approaching.  
  
  
  
As the silence died down, Dumbledore continued on:  
  
"You may have noticed that a portion of our grounds has been off limits to you all for some construction work to be done. Now, it is time for me to reveal to you what we have been working on. We will instruct the sorting hat to choose two Hogwarts students to participate in this, and this has nothing to do with grades or test scores. The hat will simply decide which two students are the most compatible, so as not to create stress."  
  
  
  
"Well it's obviously going to be Potter and Weasley then," Malfoy drawled.  
  
  
  
As if Dumbledore heard him, he continued on saying:  
  
"These partnerships will, however, not be within the same house. The partnerships must be from two different houses. Another rule for this is that the partners will be boy-girl."  
  
  
  
After he said this, most of the boys hooted, and the girls giggled. Ron made a very offending comment about Parvati, which caused him to have a pie thrown at him. He threw the pie back, causing a quite large food fight at the Gryffindor table. This ended up as Harry cleaning orange Jell-O off his glasses, Ginny flicking specks of corn from her robes, Ron pulling string beans from his hair, and Hermione trying to clean the chocolate pudding off her face. After everyone was already cleaned off and silenced, Dumbledore was finally able to continue, and looked very determined to finish his speech:  
  
"As much as most of you may not want to admit it, you will be working with a fair amount of muggles when you leave Hogwarts, so we want you to be able to adjust easier. This means that you are simply going to have to know how things work to be able to live in the near future. Fortunately for two of you, we have built a muggle house on these grounds and expect you to live and work together, with no magic, in this house for the remainder of the school year."  
  
  
  
At this point, every student either gaped, shouted, screamed, or cried. As a matter of fact, few even fainted! Hermione knew that not all wizards and witches liked muggles, but this was absolutely nuts to her. But, of course, nothing could top Slytherin, which was, by far, the rowdiest. No one could help hearing Malfoy's rude comments and threats. Hermione could not believe what her ears were picking up. "I can't believe two of us actually have the opportunity for this, this will be like being home for me, and I get this best of both worlds, I really hope I can go, then I won't be so homesick and bored anymore…" She thought. Harry looked at Ron with anxiety. Hermione heard him say something about not wanting to quit Quidditch. After all, he was captain. Dumbledore, however, was not fazed. He continued on:  
  
"For you to be able to live a *comfortable* life, we have enabled electricity to be used within the house. The house will be beautiful, but quite unique. There is one bedroom, one bathroom, one kitchen, a relaxation room, and one recreation room. The recreation room will include one pool table, a Jacuzzi, plenty of squishy purple furniture, and a large entertainment system with a huge screen projector to watch movies. The bathroom will have a very large pool- like bathtub and shower, and the relaxation room will have lots of comfy furniture, relaxing music, candles, incense…etc, oh and a new fangled thing called "dimmable lights"! OH! And a bunch of special features and tons of "surprises", needless to say, if you are offered this chance, we simply cannot let you drop out."  
  
  
  
The room was silent because, obviously, most of the students didn't know what the hell he was talking about. They didn't know what a "pool table" was, what a "Jacuzzi" was, or what "dimmable lights" were, and they had no idea what movies and projectors and entertainment systems were. This was also, of course, mixed with the awestruck expressions of confusion. Everyone knew that Hogwarts was a muggle-supporting school, but no one possibly thought that they would go this far. Several students were saying things like "Only ONE bedroom for two people?!", and "A boy and a girl sharing a ROOM? Isn't that like, illegal?!" Even Hermione, who had always supported Dumbledore's genius ideas, had to admit that this idea had definitely topped the cake.  
  
  
  
Fortunately for Harry and Ron, Hermione was able to explain enough for them to understand. Secretly inside, though, Hermione partly wished she wouldn't be chosen. Even though she wasn't talking to Ron or Harry as much lately, she couldn't imagine going through school at Hogwarts without them, or without magic as well. She continued focusing on Dumbledore.  
  
  
  
"For the pair to be able to move in by tomorrow, we need to do this sorting as quickly as possible. I will first ask Ravenclaw students to go up to the stool, and then Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. Please treat this in a proper manor, and be respectful. I will also note that this is a totally serious project, and those who participate will be graded by how they live and work together. Since the Yule Ball is next Saturday, they will be able to leave the house and participate. Under no circumstances will they be able to leave, except to Hogsmeade when permitted."  
  
  
  
So, tediously one by one, the students tried the hats on. The hat was not supposed to shout when it found two matches, it was only going to look over everyone's personality and opinions, and place two of them together. When finally everyone was finished, they went to sit down in their seats to hear which two of the lucky students will be placed together. Harry and Ron were grinning at each other, and Hermione absolutely did not know what to think.  
  
  
  
Hermione felt very apprehensive at this moment, wondering if she was going to be chosen. Sure, it was an honor, but what if she was placed with someone horrible? "No.", she thought. "The Sorting Hat has never made a mistake before, and I highly doubt it will make a bad decision. Hopefully if I am chosen, it will be with a tolerable boy, preferably a Ravenclaw…"  
  
  
  
So, as the tension in the air was becoming increasingly thicker, and when everyone was at the edge of their seats, The Sorting Hat kindly cleared it's throat, and announced…  
  
  
  
"The two students chosen to live in the luxury house will be Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy!"  
  
[A/N, that wasn't so bad now, was it? *hides behind chair* Please don't hurt me, I know I am an amateur writer. Anywho, thank you so much for reading! And please review; flames will be used to roast a piggy!] 


	2. Chapter Two: Moving in, Astronomy Tower,

Hey guys! Oh my god I actually got a second chapter out! Yay! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! It's going to be a lot longer than the last chapter, and hopefully a lot better, too! Please read and review, love you all!  
  
Main Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy  
  
Year at Hogwarts: 6th, date is December 10th to December 11th  
  
Ages: Hermione: 16, Draco: 16  
  
Spoilers: None really, at least not until later chapters  
  
Genre: Romance later on, just bitterness and tension for now! (  
  
Rating: PG so far, may increase in later chappies  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter! JK Rowling owns it all! Sadly, I only have this plot! (  
  
Okay ladies and gents! Chapter two is a'comin'!  
  
  
  
Chapter two: Moving in, Astronomy Tower, Fluffy Bunnies, and Blue Bubbles  
  
  
  
Hermione sat frozen in her chair, stunned. No one around her moved either; it was like witnessing a very bizarre part in a play when the actors are frozen. Not even paying attention to anyone else, she thought to herself, "This must be some kind of sick joke! There is NO WAY the hat would have actually thought that me and that…that… thing are compatible! Well, I guess I can't just sit here and look like a deer in headlights; I might as well go up to stage. My god, Malfoy is already up there, and he looks totally RELAXED! Oh it just makes my blood boil when he can stay so cool in these situations! Oh well, maybe I'm overreacting…" So, with quite a lot of difficulty, she finally felt her feet moving, and she approached Draco and Mrs. McGonagall.  
  
  
  
Hermione looked back to the Gryffindor table, Harry looked absolutely awestruck. He was mouthing something to Hermione that she didn't understand, but he looked pretty worried. Ron, on the other hand, had the absolute opposite reaction; he looked like a caged animal! No, a better word would be a raging bull at a bull fight; his nostrils were even flaring the exact same way! It took Seamus, Harry, Dean, Parvati, and even poor Neville, who was being absolutely harassed, to hold him down. Hermione gave him a look that she was going to handle this perfectly fine.  
  
  
  
As she glanced to the Slytherin table, she couldn't help but grin stupidly. Pansy Parkinson's expression was absolutely hilarious. She didn't look just a little upset, but positively enraged! She was having quite a bit of trouble getting out of her seat, as everyone, including Crabbe and Goyle, the huge idiots, were trying to hold her down, but only succeeded halfway. Her makeup was totally smeared, mascara running down her face, making her look like a huge fat cross between a hag and a pug. Stumbling halfway out of the Great Hall, she fainted, and was immediately dispersed to the medical ward.  
  
  
  
Dumbledore approached the center of the stage, grinning like an idiot. Everyone knew that Dumbledore had always wanted the other houses to get closer, and judging by the twinkle in his eyes, he obviously thought it would work this way. He cleared his voice and spoke.  
  
  
  
"Now students, according to your expressions, most of you probably think that this arrangement is totally asinine, but let me assure you, in the end you will see that this arrangement has worked out for the best! Please appreciate the courage your fellow students have in participating in this. Now, you may now say goodbye to your friends for now, as they will be staying in the Astronomy Tower tonight for sleeping arrangements. Their things have been magicked up there, and the next time you will be seeing them will probably be in about two weeks, just in time for the Yule Ball!"  
  
  
  
Hermione still felt a bit sick and shocked, but she had made herself agree that she wouldn't start any more fights with Draco for the rest of the year…well… any… major fights.  
  
She jumped down and ran to Harry and Ron, who were standing in the middle of the Great Hall.  
  
Harry spoke first, "Hermione…I can't believe that they are making you do this, I really hope you are going to be okay… Promise you will owl for me and Ron and everyone else every chance you get, I will miss you. We will all miss you." Harry gave her a big hug, and then Ron stepped up. "Look 'Mione, I'm still totally pissed they put you up to this, especially with Malfoy. And if the son of a bitch tries anything, or hurts you, tell me right away… I'll kill him." Hermione simply looked at Ron, nodded, and gave him a short hug. The passion Ron spoke with to her was slightly different than with Harry, and she knew that he meant what he said. She bid them farewell, and turned around to see Malfoy glaring daggers at her.  
  
  
  
"Look Granger, McGonagall wants us to come, so hurry the hell up now!" Hermione nodded, glaring at him furiously, and followed his lead. McGonagall stood forth, and beckoned them forward.  
  
  
  
Professor McGonagall did not say anything to them as she walked, she simply lead them upstairs to the tower. Hermione felt like she was in some sort of bizarre dream. She kept trying to pinch herself to wake up, but nothing work. She took a glance at Draco, who was, as always, totally cool and calm. Hermione stared at him enviously, and told herself that she as well would someday learn to act like that.  
  
  
  
When at last they reached the tower, after climbing what seemed like endless flights of spiral staircases, the Professor led them in the room, shut the door, and left them alone.  
  
  
  
In the center of the tower were two squishy sleeping bags. One pink, with fluffy bunnies on them frolicking through light blue bubbles, and the other was a plain blue bag. Before Draco had a chance to notice, Hermione dashed to the blue one, leaving Draco with the girlish pink choice.  
  
  
  
Hermione positioned herself comfortably, smiling placidly at Draco, just to annoy him. It worked. He strode over to the pink bag, lifted it up, and asked Hermione, "You really don't expect me to sleep in this…this…fluffy item, do you?" She looked at him happily, and with a very high pitched cheery voice, announced, "Of course! It's just lovely, isn't it? I mean, I TOTALLY thought it would suit you perfectly, the bunnies and the bubbles, it's all so CUTE!" She started laughing, and became entangled in the sleeping bag in a fit of giggles.  
  
  
  
He backed away from her slowly, staring at her with a very surprised expression. "You're an absolute MADWOMAN! What the hell is wrong with you?! You mean to tell me you are actually enjoying this…this… absurd mockery! I, being who I am, simply cannot believe forcing us too..."  
  
"Ohh shut the hell up with your arrogant crap!" she cut him off. "You could at least make the best of this situation and stop being so damn immature!" she said. He stared at her again, and begrudgingly sat on the pink bag. "Oh really miss perfect! I'm not the one giggling like a schoolgirl."  
  
  
  
He turned over and lay in the bag, trying to sleep. He heard her sigh and shift her bag away from him. "Who does she think she is?" he thought to himself. "Telling me, a Malfoy, that I am immature. Oh well, I really shouldn't be listening to her anyway, as she has no idea what the hell she is talking about."  
  
  
  
So, as both of our beloved magical teenagers were totally exhausted, they really hadn't any trouble falling asleep. Despite the fact that they hated each other, and had to be living together for the next 6 months, they were taking it pretty well now. True, they were annoyed, but tomorrow would be a…well…interesting day to look forward to. And, after all, since Hermione was going to be buying her robe, she probably wouldn't have to talk to him so much tomorrow anyway.  
  
  
  
Draco awoke, annoyed, from a brisk knock on the Astronomy Tower door. Draco, being totally opposite from a morning person, was never to be disturbed during his sleep. He shut his eyes and waited a few minutes, until finally the knocking stopped. He looked up from his pillow and saw that Hermione was already dressed and ready, and had answered the door. A tiny house-elf had bowed to her and gave her a key and instructions. She nodded at him and shut the door.  
  
  
  
"You're finally up." She said. "We are supposed to meet him at our new house in 5 minutes for "further instructions", and he gave me the key to the front door. Now please hurry so we aren't late, I'll meet you outside the door."  
  
  
  
Draco didn't have a chance to reply, she already had left. So, tiredly, he got up and looked outside. It truly was a beautiful day, perfect conditions for flying. He smiled, suddenly in a much better mood then before, and got dressed. "Well, at least I can probably spend most of my time flying than having to listen to her bullshit" He was humming now, which was actually one of his hidden passions. Draco just adored music, especially Baroque.  
  
  
  
Draco met up with Hermione as she led the way outside. Hermione and Draco were, surprisingly, feeling kind of…excited. This was going to be a totally new experience, even if it was with their enemies. Hermione cris- crossed through the grounds, and they finally set eyes on their new home. It was, as Dumbledore had said, quite unique. The house was painted silver, green, purple, and blue. The 5 windows were in shapes of stars and moons, and the front door was in the shape of a giant bright orange and red sun. The shape of the house, well, wasn't like a normally shaped house. It had two towers at the top, probably for the bedroom and bathroom. There was a fairly large balcony to the right, and very beautiful black curtains adorned the windows. It almost looked like a cross between a mini castle/house in the sky, because of the stars, moons, and the sun. The house wasn't exactly on the ground, either. It was floating about 1 ½ feet from the ground, on what looked like fluffy clouds. Hermione absolutely adored it and Draco… well… Sir Draco didn't exactly know what to think about it.  
  
  
  
"Well, what do you's think?" the house-elf asked sheepishly. Draco just shrugged, and Hermione exclaimed "I absolutely love it! It's just so…creative looking! I think I am actually going to tolerate living here." Draco, on the other hand, said "Yeah, it would be a nice place for me, if I didn't have to share it with you." Draco pushed past her and moved his way in. Hermione stomped her foot furiously and followed.  
  
  
  
But once she stepped inside and looked around, she couldn't be mad anymore. The living room was absolutely fun looking. The first thing you would see as you walked into the house would be one large light blue circular couch set, and in front of this, about 10 feet away, was a large entertainment center, with a very big flat screen television, a DVD player, a large stereo with surround sound, and a… igasp! Karaoke machine! Hermione was in heaven! The walls were blue like the ocean and featured mermaids swimming around. There were two doors in the back of the room, and a door on each side (left and right) of the room. There was a switch on the side of the room, and Hermione flicked it, causing a very large disco ball to come down, along with various colors of lights and strobe lights you could control. For once Hermione wished Draco was here so she could show him that muggles were, in fact, smart enough to deal without magic. But, unfortunately, he had left outside moments prior, and had taken flight on his broomstick.  
  
  
  
Hermione found this perfect time to go shopping for her robe. Fortunately, there was a fireplace in this room with floo powder (Dumbledore had let them travel via floo as one of the exceptions.) She threw the powder in and said, "'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions' please!" And moments later, found herself face to face with the Madam herself. "Hello Hermione dear!" she said. "What can I do for you?" "Hi miss, I would like to purchase a dress robe please", Hermione said. "Of course, dear. Right this way" Madam Malkin led her through a series of racks containing robes of all sizes, shapes, and colors.  
  
  
  
When finally she stopped, she led Hermione to a section with the most beautiful dress robes she had ever seen. They were all so detailed, and most had very long flared sleeves, with capes attached to the backs. Hermione looked all around, and she let out a very audible gasp as her eyes rested on one particular dress. It looked devastatingly expensive, for it was made of pure silk and the finest materials. The front was cut in a V, and it had a narrow waist that flared and flowed down at the bottom. The sleeves were very long, and looked like they would go about 2 inches past Hermione's hands. The back of the dress had a fine silver cloak attached, and the V shaped waist was adorned with small sparkling black diamonds. The dress, ironically, came with dainty high-heeled glass slippers. Hermione didn't care if she had to spend everything she had; she simply had to have this dress. She checked her purse, and counted her money. She had along with her exactly 111 galleons, (sorry if this is either a too high or too low amount, I'm just estimating), which, ironically, was exactly what the dress had cost. Hermione practically ran to the front of the shop, eager to get it home. After she had paid for it, she simply knew it was meant to be.  
  
  
  
Once she got home, she realized that she must have spent much more time away from home as she had once thought. It was dark outside now, probably around 8 or 9, and she was really tired. She stepped inside the house and looked around for Draco, there was no sign of him. So, being as tired as she was, and realizing that the door to the left of her was labeled "Bedroom", she opened the door, and found herself standing before a spiral staircase, she climbed them. When she was at the top, she found a door, which was obviously the door to the room, and opened it.  
  
  
  
But what she found herself looking at was nothing that she expected. In the middle of the room was a large king-size canopy four-poster bed with purple and silver curtains, and the bed was made of silver, and the sheets were…wait a minute! On the bed, was Draco! And he was petting a small Siamese "Kitten?" Hermione asked.  
  
  
  
Draco looked up at her, obviously not expecting her to be there. Hermione had to giggle at him; he was clad in only black silk boxer shorts. He narrowed his eyes at her and covered himself up better with the sheets, which Hermione had noticed were black and white. "Yes it's a cat." Draco said impatiently, still holding the cute little furball. "I was bored today so I went to the pet shop and bought her. The owner said her name was Diosa, interesting name…"  
  
  
  
Hermione simply nodded at him and said "I read somewhere that Diosa means goddess in Spanish." Draco looked at her and rolled his eyes. "Of course you did." he said. Hermione stuck her tongue out at him and started unpacking her bag. She was shuffling through the contents looking for her pajamas. She found the ones she wanted. It was a black silk halter top and short set, with little stars and galaxies on them. As she was looking for a place to change, she found to the right of her was one of the star shaped bay windows, and there was one of those plushy benches in front of it. She figured since it was a hollowed out space, Draco wouldn't see her. So, she quickly changed and came back into the room.  
  
  
  
He was still sitting there with the cat. She was getting thoroughly exhausted by now, and wanted nothing but sleep. She put her hands on her hips and instructed him to move, but of course, Draco being Draco, did nothing of the sort. He just stayed in his place, solid as a rock, and a devilish smirk played across his features. "I am not going to move. Why don't you just let me sleep on the bed, and you can sleep in the closet for now." Hermione was getting angry and VERY impatient by now, she was not one to wait. "Malfoy I am NOT going to sleep in the closet! This bed is just as much of mine as it is yours!" She jumped on the bed and pushed him off, causing him to land on the floor in a heap of covers and pillows. It truly was absurd how many pillows were on that bed, there had to be at least twelve. Satisfied at his angry protests, and how he looked trying to detangle himself, Hermione made herself quite comfortable and hogged the bed up, spreading her arms out from her and smiling placidly.  
  
  
  
When finally Draco was detangled, he was determined to keep this bed to himself. "There is no way I am sleeping next to her!" he thought. "I deserve to keep this bed to myself." He stood up and tried to push her off the bed, but she simply wouldn't move. Again and again they tried everything to get each other to leave, but when no methods worked, they finally had to give in.  
  
  
  
"As long as we have to share a bed together, we will have to find someway to create a barrier between ourselves" Hermione said. Draco looked at her, very annoyed, and said "Oh quit it you prude little brat. There is no way I would ever touch your pure little virgin body anyway, so you won't have to worry about that." Hermione, having not taken this comment lightly, roughly slapped him, and hissed furiously "Don't you ever, ever talk that way to me again! Just because you are a rich and pureblooded, doesn't give you any authority to speak that way! And as for the virgin part, don't try to talk about things you clearly don't know anything about!" Draco was absolutely appalled at her. "I knew it Granger! It was Ron, wasn't it?" She simply couldn't believe he had thought it was Ron! "Sickening, that's like, … eww… it's like a brother!" she thought. And, to tell the truth, Hermione still was a virgin, but she wasn't letting Draco know that! "No it was not Ron! Gross!" she screamed at him. "Oh really, Granger? Who was it then?" he asked. "None of your damn business!" she shouted, and turned the lights off. She was going to fall asleep if her life depended on it  
  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………"Stop kicking me Granger"…………………………………."I'm not bloody kicking you, it's just your damn cat Malfoy!"……………………………………………"Hi there my little kitty! Diosa come to give daddy a kiss?"……………………………………………………………………………………………….."Malfoy, shut the f*ck up…………………………………………………………………"Meow."  
  
  
  
[A/N, okay, finally done with that chapter! Gosh guys sorry it was so long, hope it wasn't too confusing when I kept switching points of view, but I'm not going to do different sections with each of their opinions. Ok, thank you SO much for reading! And I know the end is VERY strange, but I am also VERY tired, sorry it's not so good so far, but I think it will pick up later. Oh and next chapter I will introduce the characters to the other rooms, bye bye, now review please!!!] 


	3. Chapter Three: CornPop, Little Mermaids

Okay, before I begin chapter 3, I would like to clear a few things up. Firstly, this is NOT going to be an NC-17, I never had any intentions for the story to even go over PG-13. Secondly, Dumbledore did NOT want them to share a room so they could do it! He only did it so they would have to spend more time together, not to get raunchy, lol. Ummm… what else do I have to say… oh yeah! I know this is totally not realistic, and I never planned it to be realistic, I just wanted to have fun with it, make it a little creative, and see how things would turn out! Also, I'm sorry for the typos in the last chapters, the Yule Ball is not until Christmas Eve, December 24th, so it is going to be two weeks after the sorting in the first chapter. Oh and a BIG thanks to all my reviewers!! I NEVER thought people would actually review my story and like it! Yeah, yeah, you're probably like, SHUT UP AND HURRY WITH THE STORY!!! So here' goes…  
  
  
  
Main Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy  
  
Year at Hogwarts: 6th, date is December 12  
  
Ages: Hermione: 16, Draco: 16  
  
Spoilers: None really, at least not until later chapters  
  
Genre: Romance later on, just bitterness and tension for now! (  
  
Rating: PG so far, but a slight PG-13 for swearing  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter! JK Rowling owns it all! Sadly, I only have this plot! (  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter three: Corn-Pop, Little Mermaids, Almond Oil, Pillows, and Soap- Operas  
  
  
  
Draco awoke the next morning with a big headache, probably because the sun was glaring in his eyes through the bay window, but another reason for this would most likely be because Diosa, his beloved kitten, was sleeping comfortably on his head. He looked over at the bedside clock, it read 1:30. "So it isn't morning" Draco thought. It was actually afternoon, after all. Gently, he picked the kitten up and placed her on one of the numerous pillows. Crossing the carpet flooring, he gingerly picked up one of his morning robes, threw a shirt on, and headed downstairs, in search of his roommate. "She damn well better know how to cook." he thought. "I'm starving."  
  
  
  
So, after searching the living room, he thought he might as well get a better look at the other rooms. He headed towards one of the doors in the back of the room, the one on the left.  
  
When he opened the door, he was once again greeted with a flight of stairs. He climbed down them, and stopped when he heard voices. "Is someone else here?" he thought. He kept climbing, the flight of stairs seemed endless, and it reminded him keenly of the Slytherin dungeons. When he was finally at the bottom of the stairs, he saw a door in front of him that was labeled "Basement: Rec. Room" "Rec. Room?" he puzzled. He scratched his head in confusion, and opened the door. There was Hermione, her back facing him, lounging comfortably on a huge purple leather sofa. The sofa must have been at least 20 feet long, spanning almost the entire width of the basement itself. Behind the sofa was a nice, cherry wood pool table. In front of her was a HUGE projection screen, probably at least with the dimensions of 18 by 15, a very awkward size.  
  
  
  
Draco approached her and noticed that she had a very large (everything is king-sized in this house, lol) bowl of… "What do they call that?" he thought. "Oh yeah, corn-pop." He also noticed that she was watching a program of some sort on the projection thingy, and realized that that was where the voices had been coming from. Forgetting he had never had this, "corn-pop" before, and because he was so hungry, he took a few pieces from her bowl and ate. "Quite good for a muggle invention" he thought.  
  
  
  
"Finally up, sleepy head? It's almost two." Hermione said to him. "What are you…err… watching?" he asked, his voice full of curiosity. She looked up at him, mouth stuffed with a handful of "corn-pop" and replied, "'Daah Widwil Mirmane'." This had not come out right at all. "Excuse me?" Draco asked. She finally swallowed, and replied much more clearly this time, "I said I am watching 'The Little Mermaid.' It's a Disney animated classic, you know what animation is, right?" He looked at her with wide eyes and shook his head. Hermione thought that he reminded her of a small child when he looked at her that way, he looked much more intriguing. It amused her. "Animation is a type of…well… production that is formed by moving drawings and putting them on film and coloring them…sort of." He still didn't know what she was talking about, but it really didn't matter to him. She clearly wasn't going to get anywhere with him on that, so he gave up asking and crossed the room to the left.  
  
  
  
This was a very foolish mistake indeed, for Master Draco had not watched his footing, and tripped on one of the dials for the whirlpool, causing him to fall into the Jacuzzi, which was, fortunately for Draco, at the time filled with water.  
  
  
  
Hermione heard a very girlish scream come from the other side of the room, and turned her head just in time to see Draco trip and fall into the Jacuzzi; it was a very priceless thing to see indeed. Hermione felt a bit guilty for not telling him about this earlier, but couldn't help reducing into a ball of giggles when she saw his reaction.  
  
  
  
Draco rose out of the water, extremely peeved. "Who does she think she is to laugh at me like that?" he thought. "I'll show her!" Dripping wet, he ran after her on the couch and started shaking the water off like a dog just out from a bath. He succeeded in getting her a little wet, she was still laughing though. He decided then on taking his shirt and robe off and ringing it dry right on her head, leaving him with only his black silk boxers still on, which were clinging to him uncomfortably, but this time, she was no longer laughing.  
  
  
  
"MALFOY! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK you ARE DOING!?" she screamed and lunged at him. He tried to run away from her, but found it increasingly difficult when she was such agile runner. He stopped to catch his breath, which gave her a perfect chance to push him into the large hole in the floor which was the Jacuzzi. She pushed him, but what she didn't expect, was that he pulled her down with him. "Oh thank you very much Malfoy." she said sarcastically. "Now we are both soaked." She crossed her arms and pouted.  
  
  
  
"Well you could have bloody told me about this lake in the floor! You obviously knew about it! And besides, why do I have to be the only one soaked when you pushed me in?!" he huffed. She didn't reply, just looked at him with pure contempt and loathing. Neither of them moved nor spoke a word.  
  
  
  
After about five minutes of ignoring each other and floating idly, both decided to get out and dry off. After sitting in chemically-ridden water, Hermione needed a shower, so she headed upstairs to their living room.  
  
  
  
Once inside, she tried the door on her left, and found her self facing yet again another flight of stairs. She climbed up them slowly, and smiled happily when she found a door labeled "Bathroom: Tub and Shower". She opened the door and smiled fondly at the sight she saw, the bathroom was almost exactly like the Prefects Bathroom, down to the same type of pool-like bathtub, but this one also had a shower too, which was adjacent to another door. "Sigh, there are so many doors in this house!" she thought. She approached the door and smirked, it read "Bedroom." Slowly and surely, she made her way into the shower, ready to wash her hair with her favorite shampoo and conditioner flavors: Honey and Almond Oil.  
  
  
  
Draco made his way upstairs to the bedroom, looking for a pair of clean pajamas and some plushy towels to dry off. He figured since he wasn't going anywhere, he may as well enjoy himself with some nice silk PJ's. After being dressed and dried off, he found his way under his covers, and his kitten was still sleeping at his side. He was starting to get very tired, even if it was still morning… or afternoon. He was about to fall asleep when a very intoxicating smell came wafting towards him, and woke him with a start. The mixture of almonds and honey was almost overpowering, and he had to find out where it was coming from. It was then that he realized the water was running, and Hermione was taking a shower. "So that's where the smell is coming from…" he thought. "Granger's shampoo and conditioner" After he got used to the smell for a while, it started to relax him, and he quickly fell asleep, Diosa resting on his head.  
  
  
  
Hermione emerged out of the shower, and lazily wrapped a towel around herself. She was feeling suddenly refreshed, after being in her own little world, with her favorite fragrances for a while. She decided to go back into her room to get changed. When she opened the door she rolled her eyes, for Draco was, once again, sleeping. She crossed the room in a few easy strides to her closet, which was filled with clothes, and decided that she wanted to go back to her muggle style for a while, and contemplated on what to wear. Looking through shelves and rows of different clothing, she finally decided on a lavender- turtle neck- cut-off sleeved- sweater thing (you know what I mean), and a white skirt. She decided to lounge around for a while and watch TV, which was quite a convenient choice, considering there was one in the bedroom. So, she took the remote and gently, as not to wake him up, moved Draco to the side of the bed so she could lie down on her stomach and watch some quality television.  
  
  
  
After hours of endless flipping, game shows, talk shows, and mindless soap operas, she finally decided on waking Draco up and forcing him to play a game with her, she was getting incredibly bored. She checked her watch, it was already almost 7pm. "Gosh the time seemed to just fly by today" she said. It was true that the day did go by fast, but she was still bored, so she shook him and tried to get him to wake.  
  
  
  
It hadn't worked. He just rolled over and mumbled incoherently.  
  
  
  
Annoyed, she tried again, and he finally awoke from his peaceful slumber. He looked at her irritatingly, and said "What do you want now? I was trying to sleep…" He rubbed his eyes and yawned, waiting for her reply. "Play a game with me or something! I'm SOO bored!!!" she whined. Draco had a brief flashback when he was a little kid and used to beg Lucius to go outside and do something with him, but Lucius would just gruff loudly and ignore him. Hermione had just the same anxiousness in her eyes that Draco used to have in his. He thought of a response for a minute, and replied, "Fine, we'll talk, but there is no way I am playing any games."  
  
  
  
Hermione was satisfied with his response, she knew he wouldn't play a game with her. What was there to talk about? "You pick the subject" she said. "Fine" he replied. "Let's talk about… Me." She rolled her eyes at him, and he smirked like always, except this time, more so with amusement and playfulness. "Okay Malfoy, what about you?"  
  
  
  
He had to think about this one, there were just so many things he loved about himself. Why it would just take him hours talking about his great looks, and his slyness, and how ALL of the ladies loved him, he thought about it. "Well… what do you think about me?" he asked.  
  
  
  
She smiled, obviously enjoying this. She said, quite nonchalantly, "I think very low of you; it's not surprising, really. How can I think anything positive about a person who has done nothing but insult me and my friends my whole life? I mean REALLY Malfoy, what should I be thinking about you? I know you believe you are just God's gift to women, and that you have it all, but have you ever considered your attitude? I mean, do you really think people want to be friends with a future Death Eater?" She studied him thoroughly after this speech, and she had to grin, it had actually offended him. He was beat red… and he looked very angry and hurt.  
  
  
  
"You know something, Granger? Every insult I ever threw at your little friends, they deserved! You think I was never insulted or hurt by them? I may look and act it, but I'm not made of steel, Granger. Yes, I am proud of my looks, and my wealth, but I am not proud of my idiot father, who acts like he is everything, when he is just another pathetic Death Eater, living his life serving someone who's too weak to fight for himself. So, little princess, don't you EVER, ever call me a Death Eater again, or you will be very sorry, and I mean it." Hermione knew very well that he meant what he said, and she was quite careful to not cross that line again.  
  
  
  
"Look Malfoy, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I've done to you this weekend, and I'm sorry you have to live with me, I know I am a bitch to put up with. But now that we are here, we are stuck, and can't do anything to change it. I love arguing with you, believe me, I do. But we are somehow going to have to get along, or else we'll end up destroying each other." Draco looked at her thoughtfully and nodded. He knew he would have to put up with her some way or another, but he had no intention of being her friend.  
  
  
  
Hermione checked her watch again, 8'clock, she still had a few hours before bedtime. She went over to her closet and picked out some pink pajamas with Care Bears on them, and went to her window to change. She looked over at Draco, who was playing with his cat, introducing it to the pillow; no doubt her was tired of it sleeping on his head. As she was watching him, she noticed something so differently about him; she noticed how innocent he looked when he wasn't arguing, upset, or fighting with anyone. He looked so happy, so much different from the Draco she thought she knew. She looked down at the floor, it was littered with pillows. Suddenly, she had an idea.  
  
  
  
When he wasn't looking, Hermione took one of the pillows, and raised it right above his head. Grinning mischievously, she took it and smacked him right in the face with it. He looked at her threateningly, and hopped off the bed, armed with a fluffy pillow. He stared for a minute at her and the pillow, and followed suit, hitting her with it. They both jumped on the bed, and a monstrous pillow fight started. Soon, the room was torn apart in pieces, and literally EVERYTHING was covered in feathers from the down pillows. Both still standing on the bed, Hermione delivered the final blow to Draco's pillow, which burst open and surrounded them in a feathery paradise. Having surrendered, Draco laid down and tried to sleep. Hermione, on the other hand, was a different story. She was jumping up and down on the bed, and dancing around him, causing feathers to go everywhere. Draco begged her to calm down, but Hermione would do no such thing. "I AM THE ALMIGHTY PILLOW QUEEN!!!" she exclaimed happily. He looked at her in amusement, which kept her going. "I AM ZULU, QUEEN OF THE DWARF PEOPLE, AND I REIGN OF FLYING BLUE MONKEYS!! HEHEEHEHHWHEEEEEEE", she clearly was not going to slow down. He looked at her, and said "Shut up!! You're scaring my poor kitty!" This was true, Diosa was cowering in his hands. Hermione then decided to run around the room to wear off her energy, and it worked pretty quickly. Not long after, she was laying down as well, and she was also sneezing, for she was allergic to feathers.  
  
  
  
Draco could still smell Hermione's shampoo, and he couldn't help it, he had to ask………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….."Granger?" …………………………."Yeah Malfoy?"  
  
……………………………………………………………………………………."Where do you get your shampoo?" ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. "My mum always sends it to me via owl… it's a family recipe thing, my grandmother makes it… why?" ………………………………………………………………………….."I don't know, I was thinking of sending some to mum"…………………………………………."Oh."…………………………………………………………………………………….."Meow"  
  
And finally, they fell asleep, lost in the flurries of feathers, kittens, and almond oil…  
  
[A/N Wahoo! My longest chapter yet! Yay! I really hope this one is better then the other two, I wasn't too happy about the others… Anyway, sorry if I have punctuation mistakes, I don't have a beta-reader! Please review! I love you all!!] 


	4. Chapter Four: Gingerbread, Sugarplums, S

Hey guys! Wahoo, I finally got to update! Sorry it took so long, but I didn't have access to my computer for a few days, and I was kinda stuck! I guess I really don't want this to be TOO long, because I have idea for other stories. So, it was really hard for me to pass time faster and transition the emotions between them properly, so I had to manage this carefully! Sorry about the OOC-ness, I'm trying! Please read and review, input is always greatly appreciated, and your ideas are certainly open for discussion! Gosh, I'm sorry but this chapter is SO boring! I PROMISE this is only to pass time before the Yule Ball, which will be a FANTASTIC chapter, I'm thinking about making the Yule Ball chapter alone about 10,000 words, and that's a LOT considering the last chapter was only about 3,000. So, I already know I will get flamed for this chapter, and I'm REALLY sorry! But anyway… So, feed me a candy-cane and call me Betty, here we go!  
  
  
  
Main Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy  
  
Year at Hogwarts: 6th, date is December 22nd  
  
Ages: Hermione: 16, Draco: 16  
  
Spoilers: None really, at least not until later chapters  
  
Genre: Romance slowly progressing, you'll see what happens!  
  
Rating: PG so far, but a slight PG-13 for swearing  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter! JK Rowling owns everything! Oh and I don't own Skittles or Hard Rock Cafés!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Four: Gingerbread, Sugarplums, Silver Dragons, Spiky Hair, and Caramel Trills  
  
  
  
  
  
About a week ago, the morning of December 13th to be precise, our beloved house mates received a letter from Dumbledore that clearly stated that they would be permitted to take a leave of absence, and spend a week back at Hogwarts, for socialization purposes. For Hermione, the time had passed by with ease, and today being two days away from the Yule Ball, Hermione awoke from her four-poster, eager to return home. So, she gracefully packed her things back up, and trudged through the glimmering snow on the grounds, admiring the site before her.  
  
Somehow, the fact that it had snowed much more than in the past month, the flakes really did a handsome justice to the house. It now looked like a cross between a Gingerbread house, and a winter palace in the sky. Smiling admirably, she stepped inside the house and headed towards the kitchen, which had an open entrance, and was to the left of the living room.  
  
  
  
While boiling her water, she heard what must have been Draco coming down the stairs. She stepped out to greet him briefly, but paused when she noticed how he was dressed. She couldn't help but stare.  
  
  
  
Draco was dressed in the absolute finest dress robe Hermione had ever seen in her life. It was made of a sheer black silk material, which had a silver tint to it. It had sleeves which hung down quite low, and it was embroidered with silver dragons and serpents. The collar was clasped with an intertwining DM. His hair, usually just normally tossed, was now gelled in…spikes? Hermione was puzzled by this; Draco had always been so refined. Though his hair was oddly fitting in a way that Hermione couldn't place.  
  
  
  
As Hermione kept her place and continued to stare, Draco had to wave in front of her to break her stupor. She shook her head and cleared her throat nervously, causing him to smile. He stepped towards her and said "What do you think? Not usually my style, but I thought it would be a refreshing change…" She positively did not know want to say, so she simply replied "Keep the hair, and the robe is nice. It…errr… suits you."  
  
  
  
He nodded, satisfied, and stalked upstairs toward their room. Hermione felt very ashamed at this point, and fell onto the sofa, left with her own ponderings. "How could I have acted so childish?" she thought, "I must have looked like a total idiot, but he looked… Oh I can't believe I am admitting to this, but he looked absolutely stunning. I have never seen him dressed so fine… Ack, never mind. We could never be together anyway." She was now mumbling incoherently to herself, and admitted defeat, while falling asleep on the sofa.  
  
  
  
Draco trudged upstairs, and collapsed on the bed. He absolutely could not help feeling giddy, and he grinned broadly to himself. "Her expression was absolutely priceless; my look must have blown her away. Eh, now that I think about it, Pansy is so damn ugly, I might as well go to the ball alone, maybe I'll… nah, that will never happen. She's a half-blood Gryffindor, and I'm a pure-blood Slytherin, dream on, Draco…" he thought to himself, hopelessly. It was truly very hard to think about her this way, he had always promised himself to never become interested in the likes of Hermione.  
  
  
  
Hermione woke up in the middle of the night, realizing that she had fallen asleep on the leather couch. Because the house was so quiet, she assured herself that Draco had probably fallen asleep as well, for he wasn't a very quiet person. Remember how the house looked earlier, Hermione suddenly had an inspiration to make a Gingerbread house. Stumbling into the kitchen, she raided the cupboards of their contents, and was happy when she found the proper ingredients.  
  
  
  
No one would have ever guessed, but Hermione was actually a pretty good cook. Working tirelessly on her masterpiece about until 3 am, she finally finished. The house looked very delicious and cute. She painted the gingerbread with vanilla frosting, and used chocolate and graham crackers for the door. The miniature windows were delicately adorned with small licorice pieces and red frosting. Adding to the house was green jellybeans for grass, a multitude of sugar plums, sprinkles, Skittles, and little caramel trills in carefully designed places.  
  
  
  
Satisfied with her work, and realizing that she still had time for quality TV programming, she decided to take her house upstairs, she always loved lazing around in bed at home, and eating and watching television. Making her way upstairs, she heard rustling, and noticed that Draco was shifting positions on the bed, undoubtedly searching for a comfortable position in his sleep. Hermione also noticed Diosa sleeping on her pillow and smiled warmly. Truthfully, she had always loved cats, and was really sad when she had to give Crookshanks away to her aunt in San Francisco, she was simply too busy to care for a cat.  
  
  
  
She sat on her side of the bed, and picked up the remote. Flicking through the channels, she decided on watching cartoons. As she was watching, the kitty approached her calmly and pawed at the house. Hermione pulled some gingerbread iced with frosting, and gave it respectfully to the cat. Getting quite full after demolishing almost half of the house already, Hermione poked at Draco to wake him, she was certainly not letting this go to waste.  
  
  
  
Draco awoke to the lingering smell of gingerbread and candies. He opened his eyes to see Hermione peering at him, her eyes wide with excitement, and, he noticed, probably because she had fed herself so much sugar, noticing a fairly large, half eaten Gingerbread house beside her. He looked out the window, and noticed that it was very dark out, probably in the middle of the night. Glancing at the clock, he noticed he was right, as the time said 4:13. He looked at her in shock, and said "Are you absolutely mad?! Making a GINGERBREAD HOUSE at 4 in the morning! I want to sleep, woman! And don't look at me that way, it's disturbing…" he turned his head towards the pillow in an attempt to fall asleep, but to no avail, Hermione was much too fast.  
  
  
  
She jumped off the bed and dragged him downstairs with her, he followed begrudgingly, but he really couldn't resist, he was still very tired. She led him to the main living room, and went over to the stereo. He took a place on the couch, and simply glared at her. He was waiting for a bit, while she decided what she wanted to play. She decided on an upbeat disco song, and blared it. Draco couldn't handle this, and covered his ears with his hands. He laid down and watched her turn the lights off and flick the Disco Ball switch on, causing the room to swirl with balls of light dancing playfully across the walls. Draco was absolutely flabbergasted and didn't know what to think of his current situation. There was no way in stopping her, as she begin to salsa around the room. She came dancing to him, and screamed through the noise "Come on you party pooper! LET's SAMBA!" she dragged him off the couch and twirled him around in circles. Unfortunately, he was suddenly wide awake, and yelled "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING GRANGER?! ARE YOU DRUGGED, WAS THEIR VODKA IN THAT HOUSE?! IT's BLOODY 4:30 IN THE MORNING! AND WHAT THE HELL IS A SAMBA?!!" she took his hands out of hers, and nodded.  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry!" she said. "I just figured I didn't want to be fighting the whole year, and I was hyper and bored, I promise it wont happen again." So, she admitted defeat and he actually smiled a genuine smile at her. She had a fleeting thought that he had possibly matured, and maybe they could forget their grudges… for a few hours at least. So, after everything was turned off and put away in it's proper place, and Hermione's sugar rush had quickly diminished, they both headed upstairs.  
  
  
  
Hermione went into her closet and decided on wearing her favorite sleeping shirt, which was really comfy and titled "Hard Rock Café, London" and a silky pair of purple shorts with little clouds on them. She looked over at Draco, and he was changed out of his gorgeous robe, and decided on plaid flannel pants and a simple tee-shirt. After brushing her teeth thoroughly, and putting on her slippers, she climbed into her side, the right side, of the bed.  
  
  
  
Both teenager's were reflecting on the events of the day, and both were growing quite content with their situation. Despite the rivalries of their houses, and their family history, maybe we will see a friendship here? Or possibly…more? Still, Draco had to ask Hermione this………………………………………………..Granger?............................................ .............................................................Mmmm, yeah?....................................................................... .........What is samba?...................................................................Oh, it's um, it's a dance……………………………………………………………………………………Oh, and did you keep that house?...................................................................... ....................Heh, of course, it's on the nightstand, I wouldn't waste my cooking masterpieces…………………………………………………………….Masterpiece? I would hardly call it that…WHAT? (Draco was now greeted with a chorus of kicks)…………………OW! Jeez, I was kidding…………………………………………………………..Fine, sweet dreams then you bastard……..  
  
  
  
They fell asleep peacefully, with visions of sugarplums and disco balls dancing in their heads…  
  
  
  
[A/N, yeah yeah, I know it sucked! Sorry, it's my shortest chapter, and worse! It will get better, I promise! Please review! I LOVE YOU ALL!] 


	5. Chapter Five: Walking Through a Dreamlan

Hey everyone, I've started chapter five, and the Yule Ball is only a chapter away!! I'm also really sorry, but this chapter isn't going to be nearly as crazy as the other ones, I'm going to have to make this one more serious, so the thoughts and perspectives of the characters can be determined. This chapter is going to include a lot of thinking from the characters, and not so much random stuff, probably boring as well. I'm sorry, but since the next one is just going to be CRAZY and FUN, I had to do this one. I'm going to TRY to separate everything into different points of views and have it make sense, but it might change the style of writing a bit, just to warn you. Oh and I keep forgetting to add a THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS!!! I really appreciate your interest in my story, so after the fic, I'll add a section dedicated to my reviewers, so check it out! By the way, tomorrow is my last day of school (yay!), so I'll probably be updating much more often then. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!  
  
Alright ladies and gents, the shows about to start in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1………………!!!!  
  
  
  
Main Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy  
  
Year at Hogwarts: 6th, date is December 23rd !!  
  
Ages: Hermione: 16, Draco: 16  
  
Spoilers: None really, at least not until later chapters  
  
Genre: Romance and chemistry progressing, you just wait and see now!  
  
Rating: PG so far, but a slight PG-13 for swearing  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter! JK Rowling owns everything!  
  
  
  
Chapter Five: Walking Through a Dreamland and Re-envisioning  
  
  
  
Hermione-  
  
Taking a daily shower in the morning was becoming increasingly difficult for Hermione lately. She knew Draco always HAD to be well-groomed, but today was INSANE! She had woken up at 9:30 to the sound of running water, which appealed to her, and she had decided to take a shower. Hermione, generally being a patient person, was able to wait a while, but not this long! She glanced at the clock and noticed the time was 11:00; he had been in there for over an hour and a half! She decided that this was drawing a fine line, and started banging on the bathroom door.  
  
  
  
"MALFOY! DAMNIT, IT'S 11 BLOODY AM! YOU'VE BEEN IN THERE LONG ENOUGH! NOW, EITHER YOU SUCK UP YOUR MALFOY PRIDE AND LET YOURSELF BE SEEN IN YOUR PRECIOUS NAKED GLORY BY ME, A MUDBLOOD, OR GET YOUR POMPOUS ASS OUT!!!" she screamed. Apparently this had motivated him, for the sound of the shower door being closed was heard. He stepped out, his hair a mess, and his face looked surprisingly…amused? Hermione looked at him in confusion and he simply nodded and stated, "I didn't think you had it in you Granger, I admire your perseverance." He smiled at her, and placed something in her hand. She looked down and realized it was her mother's shampoo; the bloody git had used it for himself. Hermione huffed into the bathroom and placed her shampoo in her proper spot.  
  
  
  
Even though she was still quite annoyed, she was all in all happy that he had gotten out of the shower, finally, so she could use it to her advantage. She stepped in and immediately all negative thoughts had left her head, and she was in her own paradise. She tried to run everything that had happened in the past few weeks over in her head, and she still hadn't believe what situations had transpired, and was even more relieved that she had been taking it as gracefully as she had, she really hadn't expected that. Lost in the steam and smells of her body wash, she enveloped herself in the water, overcome with a rainbow of emotions.  
  
  
  
Draco-  
  
After his extensive shower, Draco decided to head outside for a bit of a walk. It was a nice day outside, and a perfect opportunity to clear his head. Walking along the grass, his thoughts strayed to the Yule Ball, wondering who he was planning on going with. He thought about Pansy, and decided better of it, what a total embarrassment THAT would be! He would probably just end up going alone.  
  
  
  
Even though he hadn't had too much time with Hermione, he had been discovering a part of her he never knew she had. (No, not that part! Sickos!) She had a side of her that was unpredictable and fun, and as much as he hated to admit it, part of him had actually almost LIKED being around her, as strange as that may sound. He used to think of her as just another nobody that hung around Potter, but now he realized she was much different, and it brought out a part of himself that he never really knew he had anymore, a part that his father had always shunned, and a part that he always tried to hide.  
  
  
  
Walking through the grounds, he couldn't help but admire the scenery around him. The giant tree's surrounding Hogwarts had always seemed so far away to him. They always seemed so grounded and decided, so intimidating and determined; he always wanted to be that way. Today, though, was different. The once intimidating trees now seemed almost… comforting? The snow had glistened over them it in such a beautiful way it was hard to look at them for a long time, but at the same time, tempted him to stare at them forever, threatening to waste him away. He tightened his grip on his scarf and headed home.  
  
  
  
Hermione-  
  
After gracefully stepping out of the shower, Hermione decided to change into her most comfortable robes. They were silk, and a beautiful deep scarlet color. Black roses adorned them, and it was so incredibly soothing to be surrounded in their silky softness. After stepping into a pair of black slippers, she made her way downstairs. She wanted some hot-cocoa, it was quite chilly today.  
  
  
  
Hermione was a person that always loved thinking things over while drinking a nice mug of hot cocoa and watching the snowflakes blissfully falling from the sky. Sipping gently, she began to get lost in her thoughts… of Draco. Everything about him seemed to puzzle her, and at the same time, she longed for him in some eerie, un-describable way. Perhaps it was the company he kept. He had a chilling way of manipulating her. In some times, the way he speaks to her will make her want to cry her eyes out, or in other times, he'll make her want to laugh and smile.  
  
  
  
Well, maybe it's just because she isn't used to being controlled this way. Harry and Ron were usually pretty predictable, but Draco was different. He had the style and grace of a Persian feline, and the uncanny ability to frighten her, in a sort of serpentine type of way. Hermione supposed she had always secretly longed to be able to control herself and carry herself the way he did, and she would somehow learn the ability to do so. Smiling to herself and swirling her cocoa around with her spoon, she heard the door open, and looked over to see Draco.  
  
  
  
He was standing in the door way, obviously returning from a walk through the grounds, when he began to shake the snow off his cloak fiercely like a dog out of the bath. She chuckled at him bemusedly, and said "For heaven's sake! You look like a Dalmatian!" he frowned disapprovingly and proceeded to clean himself off and headed downstairs to the basement.  
  
  
  
Draco-  
  
How dare she call me a Dalmatian? He thought. Had she no breeding? A least a proper bred dog, maybe a nice pomegranate… he positioned himself on the sofa and sighed, today had been a day of revelations for him. So many things threatened to confuse him and he couldn't think what to do. He was tired of arguing with himself and decided to watch a movie, if he could figure it out. Stumbling blindly around, he sighed in relief, remembering that Granger had already assembled everything.  
  
  
  
He shuffled through the titles and decided on "Romeo and Juliet". After watching for about an hour, he was starting to get sleepy, and shut his eyes. Just before his sleep, he was starting to think about the movie again. Everything seemed so similar to his own predicaments, and Hermione had reminded him of Juliet. Sure, he thought. We aren't in love, but maybe if people would understand, we might be able to make some kind of friendship or something… just maybe…ZzzZzzz  
  
  
  
Hermione-  
  
Hermione briefly glanced downstairs, and noticed that Draco had fallen asleep on the sofa, and the T.V. was off. She saw him shivering in his sleep, it was very cold down here. Without even thinking twice about what she was doing, she wrapped a wool blanket around him, and headed to her room.  
  
  
  
Once upstairs, she positioned herself comfortably in bed, and fell asleep…  
  
A/N- I'm SOOO sorry this was shorter and probably weird, but I really didn't have much time, and I had to pop a chappy out because next chapter is the PARTY! Okay anyways, like I promised, this is for my reviewers…  
  
Little Maggie- Thank you SO much for reading and reviewing my story! I absolutely LOVE yours and I'm So proud of myself for having one of my favorite authors reading my work, it means sooo much to me! Thank you SO much and please continue with your fic, I can't wait to see what happens!  
  
Nevaeh- Thank you for your wonderful reviews! I'm so sorry I haven't been able to contact you, but Yahoo won't let me e-mail! You could try e-mailing me just like, a sentence or something, and then I'll reply and that might work! Thanks!  
  
The Mystery Girl- Thank you for volunteering to be my beta and giving me the great reviews! I haven't been able to talk to you for a while, but by now, I don't think I really need a beta, but thank you all the same!  
  
Allee Kat- I'm excited for the Yule Ball too, and I'm writing it! Lol! Thanks for the encouragement, I'm trying to bridge the horrible OOC gap currently, and we'll see what happens! I'm lovin' the reviews, and I'll keep my story coming!  
  
American Brown Eyes- LOL! Thanks for the persuasion! I'll try to finish this as soon as possible, I hope to get the next chapter in ASAP!! The review was wonderful, and it's great to see you are So patient, hehe!  
  
Draco's Gurl- Oh, I agree about the boxers! I had to add that little line in there for my own pleasure as well, Draco in black silk, hmmmmmmm… ;-)  
  
QueenOfTheQueer- Oh my god, thank you SOO much for reviewing and putting me on your favorites list! I feel SO honored, I just love you! Lol, sorry, but this is like a HUGE thing for me, lol…  
  
Desma- Hmmmm… we'll have to wait and see… Aren't I horrible, hehe! ;-)  
  
Macbeth Hamlet- Thank you, I'll try to e-mail you ASAP!  
  
Maggie- Thank you! I never really thought I was a great writer, I mean, I'm not even in High School yet! I will try to update as quick as I can, thank you!!  
  
I Rule The World- Hehe, you think this is wicked?! Cool! Thank you, that's like… totally Ron's word… (  
  
Sucker for Romance- Thank you! Your story is cool too! Lol, I see your reviews on like every story! D/H and D/G forever!  
  
Sila-Chan- Thank you! Playskool, LOL! I thought the EXACT same thing kind of, I love acting like a little kid, even though I'm still pretty young, lol.  
  
I'm sorry I couldn't include everyone personally! Thanks to the rest of my reviewers!~  
  
Maggie, Mione G, Angel of Shadows, Dark Angel of Sin, Aquacutie18, Katherine, Tujunga, Manga Pixie, Lydia, Slithering-Slytherin, Aerie Potter, Hyper-Shark, Taisha, Lil'_dudette, Rina, Christine, Tracy, ~~, Ashley Beene, Violet Blues, Hazel Eyes, Mistress_of_the_ring, Jenna, Hue, Gabnif, Galaad, Leigh, Hells, Chikata, Angel, I_Love_Moi_Attitude, Alexa, Sandra, Lauren, Hello!  
  
Thank you all! Now please, REVIEW! 


	6. Chapter Six: THE YULE BALL! 'nuff said

WOOHOO! I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO USE **BOLDING AND **

CENTERING!!!!!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO HELPED ME!!! I'M SO HAPPY HEEEEEE!!!!!!!! Okay sorrrryyy about that! YES! This is the LONG AWAITED _Yule Ball chapter! Alright, as you can seeee, I am a hyper ficcy writer so this chapter is going to kick arse! Yeah so, I HATE making huge long boring author notes, so I'm just gonna cut to the chase…_

Main Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy

Year at Hogwarts: 6th, IT'S THE YULE BALL!!

Ages: Hermione: 16, Draco: 16

Spoilers: Well, Goblet of Fire a little!

Genre: Romance and craziness and snogs and blah!

Rating: PG-13 for swearing and funny words

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter! JK Rowling owns everything!

Let's get this party started!

Chapter Six: The Yule Ball! 'nuff said

Hermione

            Hermione woke up totally energized and excited, she loved going to parties! After all, she had been waiting ages for the Yule Ball, and since tonight was the night, she was feeling incredibly giddy. Crawling off the sofa she stretched and yawned, remembering that she had a lot to get ready for as well. "_Oh dear", she thought. "__I do wonder what the time is"… She glanced at the clock and realized it was nearly 2:30 in the after noon! How could she have slept in so late? "__Oh my god! How did it get so late?!", she thought. She ran upstairs to the kitchen, and glanced at the invitation they had received last weekend from Dumbledore about the ball. The Yule Ball was to start at 6pm and it was to be over at Midnight. So, hurriedly, she ran upstairs to the bedroom to begin getting ready, hoping in her heart that she would have enough time._

            Running upstairs, she heard humming, so she pressed her ear to the door for a minute. It was Draco, hehe! Draco was humming! She never thought a person like him could be so giddy. She opened the door and noticed that he was already in his robes, and he was just finishing up his hair. _"Damn him!" she thought. "__He is already dressed and almost ready!"  Walking closer without him noticing, she jumped behind him and grabbed the bottle of hair gel he was currently using to spike his hair up. "Hey!" he shouted. "What do you think you are doing?", he said, and looked at her fiercely. She simply giggled and smirked, and carried the gel on the bed with her. He ran up to her, trying to get it back, but to no avail. She was jumping now. "Give that back!" he whined, and looked at her like a lost puppy. "No way!" she said, and continued laughing and jumping. He narrowed his eyes at her, and joined in the jumping. This entire ruckus on the bed was beginning to annoy Diosa, who was trying to sleep on her/Draco's pillow. While Hermione was busily trying to keep the bottle in her hands, Diosa ran over and bit her toe. "Ouch!" she screamed. "Damnit kitty! Here Draco, have the damn bottle, I have to get ready anyway." So, pouting, she jumped off the bed. Draco flipped the bottle over and smirked, Hermione went back to her closet._

            She smiled when she eyed her beautiful robe and matching shoes. She looked over to see what Draco was doing, he was still fixing his hair at the vanity table. So, she gathered her robes and hid them under her arms. Heading to the bathroom, careful not to let him see, she took out her robes and shut the door. After all, she didn't want him seeing her until she was properly ready. _"Tonight is going to be so exciting!"  she thought. __"But, I'm really not sure what to do about this whole Draco thing. It's scary to think about, but I'm really starting to grow…well… fond __of him. I wonder, what is Ron going to think if we show up together? I know Ron still fancies me, after what happened at the Yule Ball last year with him, when he asked me to go steady. Of course, I agreed, and we were going out until last September… when I broke up with him…" she sighed, and started fastening her robes.__ "But, then again, I'm probably just being an immature school girl. I know__ Draco doesn't think of me the same way… whatever way that may be… Straightening up, she looked herself over in the body mirror. She had to admit, she looked good. The color of the robes (a/n, which I forgot to add, they are a shimmering midnight blue color, you know, kinda like iridescent. And the cloak attached is just more like a cape, and it's see-through silver, you know. It's really pretty, but anyway…) had complimented her hair perfectly, and her hair wasn't even done yet. _

            Opening the medicine cabinet, she started shuffling around for her hair straightening iron and hair spray. Contemplating on what to do with her hair, she mentally slapped herself, and thought, "_Wait a minute, Draco? Since when am I thinking about him on first name basis?"  She shook her head and began on her hair, after minutes of trying twists and pulls and knots and buns and curls, she finally decided to use her wand. Technically, they weren't supposed to do magic in the house unless there was an emergency, but wasn't this an emergency? I mean, a girl needs good hair, doesn't she? Nodding, she took the wand and muttered a spell for hair. Experimenting, she decided on a few elegant knots in the back, tied up with tiny braids. She left a few pieces in the front for that "sex kitten" style, you know what I mean. She used the wand to stencil small auburn highlights, and had the wand sprinkle the top of her hair, to add the affect of glistening snowflakes. It was gorgeous, much better than the Yule Ball last year and fourth year. _

            Now for make-up. Truth be told, Hermione really didn't know how to put make-up on that well, as she rarely wore much of it. So, again, she used the wand, and muttered a spell that placed the exact tints of makeup for her skin color and for the dress color. For her eyes, it ended up selecting the same color as the dress for the liner. For the upper lid, it suggested a more sheer color, not as dramatic as the dress, but still quite noticeable. It ended up also adding a sort of shimmer powder that stretched from her lids to her eyebrows, which was also very sheer. For her cheeks, it gave her a bronzer tone for the blush, giving her a sort of sun-kissed look. The lips was done very classy, not a deep red or pink, but a very shiny gloss, with a slight tint of burgundy. Hermione really loved the new look, it gave her a fresh-happy looking face tone. She smiled and danced around, posing to the mirror. She looked like a beautiful princess, modeling for robes. She glanced at the clock, and noticed it was already 5:30. Making wonderful time, she kissed the mirror and headed outside to her bedroom.

Draco

            Sitting on the vanity chair, Draco was still messing with his hair. He had successfully spiked each hair up in the exact precise way he wanted it. Every piece was perfectly even…except one, in the middle, which kept curling down. "Bloody hell!" he shouted, and put another glob of gel on his hand. "If I could only get this one…" and, finally, it stayed up. "Excellent.", he said, and stood up, admiring himself at full length. "I am devilishly gorgeous," he said to himself. This was true, really, the robe had complimented his pale self perfectly, and he kind of looked like an innocent angel… He didn't like that, so he smirked evilly. "Perfect." Finally ready, and more conceited then ever, but with good reason, he glanced at the clock. 5:35. He thought he had better head downstairs and see if Hermione was ready to go, so, with one final look at himself, he exited.

            Running to the door, he was grateful when he realized Hermione was ready, but she had her back towards him. Eager to see how she looked, he cleared his throat to announce his presence, and she turned around. Upon seeing her, Draco fell breathless…literally. He couldn't breathe, and he couldn't move, he was too much in shock. _"Oh my god… there is no fucking way this is the same mudblood that was stealing my gel earlier… This isn't Granger. No. My god, what an idiot I must look, standing here. I better do something…" Draco blinked, to Hermione, she thought nothing of it, but for Draco in this predicament, it was a major accomplishment. "So, how do I look?" she asked him, twirling around and smiling. She reminded him of an angel, an innocent princess, and it was too much for him to handle. Her merely nodded, and said "Well, at least we don't clash." He smirked at her and she smiled, tapping him playfully with her satin gloves. _

            Walking through the snow, Hermione stopped for a moment, and said "Umm, do you think it would be better if we actually addressed each other by our names? I mean, it's not too much to ask… is it?" Draco turned around to face her, and took her hands in his. "No, Hermione, it isn't." They smiled at each other, and, hand-in-hand, they ran to Hogwart's front gate.

(A/N- Oooooh, fluffiness! You know, I was going to stop here, but I figured, what kind of wonderful writer would I be then? So, I continue…)

Inside the Great Hall, Normal Point of View (Does that make sense?)

            The Great Hall was decorated beautifully, as always. Magic snow falling, ice sculptures, the usual. Except, this time… they didn't have a wizarding band but… a DJ! DUMBLEDORE WAS DJ! Upon entering, he winked at them, giving them a look that clearly imitated that Hermione and Draco weren't going to be the only ones resorting to Muggle technology. 

            Of course, Dumbledore wasn't the only one staring at them. The second they walked in and the doors shut, everyone had to stare. Draco, noticing that their hands were still intertwined, dropped his fiercely, but not fast enough for Ron not to notice, making Hermione cringe. Hermione looked to Ron, seeing that he was heading towards them in a fury, cloak billowing behind, which gave him a look that resembled Snape on certain days. Harry was in tow, running to catch up with him. This truly was a sight, if you had the point of view that Herm and Draco had, then you would see two groups of students on either the right or left side, divided unequally, mostly Slytherin to the left, with Ron running stark raving pissed in the middle and Harry following. With Ron catching up to them quite quickly, Draco turned to Hermione and mouthed "Stay here", while he stepped in front of her a few feet, in a guarding position. He was clearly ready to take whatever Ron had planned. Oh yes, Ron definitely had something planned, judging by the look that Harry was giving Hermione, clearing stating his apologies. With fists clenched, Ron turned towards Harry, his eyes in slits, and said roughly, "Sod off, Harry! This isn't about you." Harry frowned, but backed off. His days of protecting Ron were clearly over.

            Hermione looked at Draco and Ron with a pleading stare, she was terrified. Ron didn't even bare to look at her, but focused on Draco, and how much damage he could do, which had to be minimum, considering Draco was about 5 inches taller then Ron, and a much more toned body from Quidditch. Draco smirked and looked down on Ron, obviously trying to provoke him more, "Think you can fight me, shorty? Well let's see it then, that is, if you can even reach me." The lot of the Slytherins hooted in laughter, but Ron turned, if possible, redder than ever. Poor Ron, he tried so hard to punch Draco, but every punch he threw, Draco dodged. Hermione cringed and went between them, trying to stop everything. Draco looked at her with as much compassion as he could in his current situation, and said "No, I want this all over with. I'm going to show him who's the better wizard after all!" Draco stepped toward Ron and hit him with such force that Ron was knocked to the ground and slid back several inches. Ron was knocked out, and Hermione tried to run to him, but Draco held her back, he was too strong for her. Harry dragged Ron off to the Hospital Wing, and Hermione turned to Draco, tears in her eyes. "Why did you do that?!" she said. "You know he's smaller than you, you could have killed him!" Sobbing forcefully and shaking, Hermione slowly backed away from Draco, who looked at her with nothing but misunderstanding. "I don't understand." He said. She looked at him and bit her lip, trying to control her cries. "You don't understand what?! Why couldn't you have just backed away from him or something?" she reasoned. He looked at her knowingly, and said "I never run away from a challenge, Hermione. I thought you actually cared about what I felt, and if you want him so badly, then just go to him and leave me alone." And with that, he stalked away, heading outside to the gardens. She didn't know what to do or what to think, had she wanted Ron? With everyone running towards her, she had to get away from it. She followed Draco.

Hermione

            She found him sitting outside on one of the benches, his back to her. He was staring up at the crescent moon, idly fingering a rose in his hands, causing his palms to bleed. She watched him put the bloody rose beside him, and bury his head in his hands. She walked over to him on the bench, and sat beside him. He made no attempt to acknowledge her presence, however. "Draco…" she said eagerly, but he emitted no response. Sighing, she tried again, "Draco, please listen to me." This time he turned his head towards her, his eyes glassy and pained. "Draco, I don't know why I said that to you inside. The truth is, is that, being with you these weeks has been so incredible to me. I've realized that, well, you aren't everything I perceived you to be, and… well, that there is more to life then books and cleverness. I… admire you for your courage to stand up to Ron and defend me, no one has ever really cared enough to behave that way for me…I'm sorry." She placed her hand on his shoulder in a comforting way, and he turned toward her, smiled meekly, and said "Yeah, I was pretty good in there, wasn't I?" he grinned broadly and she hit him playfully. "I'm sorry, it's just, I don't want to be miserable all night, and I really do care for you…Hermione." She smiled at him again and examined his hand with the blood on it. She massaged it gently and turned to him. He cupped her face in his hand, and rubbed her lips with his thumb. She leaned in slightly and kissed him gently, he deepened the kiss in surprise and wrapped his arms around her waist. She placed her hands behind his neck and idly twirled his hair with her hands, inhaling his intoxicating cologne, which smelled of mint and… cinnamon? She laughed into the kiss and Draco stopped for a minute, saying "What?" she simply smiled and kissed him again.  A snickering laugh behind them startled Hermione and she pulled away, blushing profusely. Draco just smirked at the boy who laughed. Seamus. Seamus said, "Well then, I see we are getting along well. Now, when you two are done doing… whatever it was you were doing… (Hermione stood up and kicked the boy) Okay, okay, sorry. Just wanted to tell you that there's a party inside you are missing, so you best hurry!" Hermione yelled after him "SSHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMEEEUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" quite loudly, and turned to Draco in anticipation, who winked at her, and said "You owe me for stopping us!" She pushed him and ran inside, him chasing after her.

            Once inside, everyone cheered and clapped, causing Hermione to blush, yet again. That is, of course, everyone except Pansy, who ran out, again. Hermione shrugged, and a muggle song she knew quite well came on, which, coincidentally, was absolutely perfect for tonight. Hermione couldn't help it, and edged towards him, he took her hand and twirled her around, they were both wonderful dancers:

_You've got style, that's what all the girls say  
Satin sheets and luxuries so fine  
All your suits are custom made in London  
But I've got something that you'll really like_

_Gonna dress you up in my love  
All over, all over  
Gonna dress you up in my love (in my love)  
All over your body_

_Feel the silky touch of my caresses  
They will keep you looking so brand new  
Let me cover you with velvet kisses  
I'll create a look that's made for you_

_Gonna dress you up in my love (in my love)  
All over, all over  
Gonna dress you up in my love (dress you up in my love)  
All over your body_

_Gonna dress you up in my love, in my love  
All over your body, all over your body  
In my love  
All over, all over  
From your head down to your toes…_

_Gonna dress you up in my love  
All over, all over  
Gonna dress you up in my love  
All over your body_

_Gonna dress you up in my love, in my love  
All over your body, all over your body  
In my love  
All over, all over  
From your head down to your toes…_

_Dress you up in my love_

_All over and over_

_Gonna dress you up in my love_

_Oh yeah, dress you up in my love_

_In my love, I'm in love…_

…As the song ended, Draco gave Hermione a final twirl, leaving the Great Hall speechless, except for their hands, which were clapping wildly. Even the Gryffindor's were glad Hermione was happy with someone, even if it was a Malfoy… Draco and Hermione left the dance floor to have a seat and some punch. "I didn't know you were such a great dancer" Hermione said. Malfoy smirked, and said "A Malfoy? Not know how to dance properly? Well, in our family, it's simply unheard of…" They both laughed at Draco's joke, no matter how corny it was. A few minutes later, Parvati and Lavender, both buzzing excitingly, said "You know, you two. We are having a party in the Gryffindor common room after the Ball, and everyone from EVERY house is invited! You two better be there! Oh, and by the way Malfoy… You look **damn sexy in that outfit." Parvati said to him and licked her lips. Draco just nodded and she and Lavender left, winking at Hermione. "Ugh, she is such a _slut!" Hermione hissed. "Jealous, are you?" he said. Hermione frowned. "No! But still…" she pouted. Draco smiled, "Right… We are going to that party, you know! A Malfoy NEVER misses parties!" Hermione rolled her eyes at him and left briefly to get more punch._**

__

Draco__

            Draco sat in the booth, feeling very bored. He began drumming his fingers on the table when Crabbe and Goyle came up to sit next to him. "Uhhhhh… Hi, Draco." Crabbe said. Draco nodded at them and yawned. "So what's up guys?" he asked. "Oh, not, uh, much. Heyyy uh, nice date you got there's. Didn't think the Gryffindor could …err… look that… yeah." Goyle added stupidly. Draco looked at him, amused, and said, "Heh, thanks, I guess. Are you two going to that Gryffindor party afterwards?" They nodded. "_God, what a lump of idiocy…" Draco thought. "__Oh well, at least it's some company while she's gone. Hey, what's she up to anyway?" he looked around and spotted her talking to Professor McGonagall. "Figures" he said. Dumb and dumber looked at him, confused. He shook them off and stood up, he wanted to walk around and stretch his legs a bit._

            After talking about for a few minutes, Draco decided to go ask Hermione what she was doing. Now she was talking to a bunch of girls in the corner… apparently planning something. He walked closer and noticed that she was in the middle of the center of girls, and some of them were Slytherin's! Apparently, her relationship with Draco had broken the hate. Surrounding her and adding to the "plan" were Ginny Weasley, Parvati and Padma Patil, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, Blaise Zabini (a/n- I've always thought Blaise was a girl), Millicent Bulstrode, Sally-Anne Perks, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, Lisa Turpin, Lavender Brown, Alicia Spinnet, even Pansy was back, looking as determined as ever. Draco had to admire Hermione, leading them all like that. Finally, after about 10 minutes, every girl put there hands over each other, and jumped, whooping for joy. After Hermione gave thanks to the Professors, she and the other girls went in the hallway. Draco was extremely confused.

Normal Point of View

_            Dumbledore went to address the audience, which silenced at his voice. "Excuse me all, but I need your attention! The Hogwart's girls have decided to put on a little show for you all, so please, pay them your respects!" After his speech, music started, and the girl's emerged looking like… 1930's prostitutes! My god, they were wearing… lace and bodices and whips and leather tube tops and fishnet! Microphone in hands, the girl's started workin it!:_

Hermione:

_Where's all mah soul sistas_

_Lemme hear ya'll flow sistas_

Girls: __

_Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, flow sista _

_Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, go sista _

Ginny: __

_He met Marmalade down in old Moulin Rouge_

_Struttin' her stuff on the street_

_She said, "Hello, hey Jo, you wanna give it a go?" Oh! uh huh_

Girls:

_Gouchie__, Gouchie, ya ya dada (Hey hey hey)_

_Gouchie, Gouchie, ya ya here (here)_

_Mocha Chocalata ya ya (oh yea)_

_Creole lady Marmalade_

Hermione: 

_What What, What what___

Ginny: 

_Ooh oh Marmalade…_

Girls:

_Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir_

_Voulez vous coucher avec moi_

Hermione:

_Yea yea yea yea_

Pansy:

_He sat in her boudoir while she freshened up_

_Boy drank all that Magnolia wine_

_All her black satin sheets, suede's, dark greens_

_yeah_

Girls:

_Gouchie, Gouchie, ya ya dada (da-da-da)_

_Gouchie__, Gouchie, ya ya here (here ohooh yea yeah)_

_Mocha Choca lata ya ya (yea)_

_Creole lady Marmalade_

_Voulez__ vous coucher avec moi ce soir (ce soir, what what what)_

_Voulez__ vous coucher avec moi _

Hermione:

_Yea yea uh_

_He come through with the money and the garter bags_

_I let him know we bout that cake straight up the gate uh_

_We independent women, some mistake us for whores_

_I'm sayin', why spend mine, when I can spend yours? _

_Disagree? Well that's you and I'm sorry_

_I'mma__ keep playing these cats out like Atari_

_Wear ideal shoes get love from the dudes _

_14 bad ass chicks from the Hogwart's School_

_Hey sistas, soul sistas, betta get that dough sistas!_

_We drink wine with diamonds in the glass_

_Bottle case the meaning of expensive taste_

_If you wanna Gouchie, Gouchie, ya ya _

_Mocha Chocalate-a what?_

_Creole Lady Marmalade_

_One more time C'mon now_

_Marmalade... Lady Marmalade... Marmalade... _

Parvati and Lavender: 

_hey Hey Hey!_

_Touch of her skin feeling silky smooth_

_Color of cafe au lait alright_

_Made the savage beast inside roar until he cried,_

_More…more…more!_

Pansy: 

_Now he's back home doin' 9 to 5 (9 to 5…)_

Ginny:

_Sleepin__' the grey flannel life ___

Parvati and Lavender:

_But when he turns off to sleep memories creep, _

_More…more…more!_

Girls:

_Gouchie, Gouchie, ya ya dada (da daeaea yea)_

_Gouchie, Gouchie, ya ya here (ooh)_

_Mocha Choca lata ya ya (yea)_

_Creole lady Marmalade_

_Voulez__ vous coucher avec moi ce soir (ce soir)_

_Voulez__ vous coucher avec moi (all my sistas yea)_

_Voulez__ vous coucher avec moi ce soir (ce soir)_

_Voulez__ vous coucher avec moi (C'Mon! uh)_

Professor McGonagall:

_Parvati and Lavender__...(oh Leaeaa Oh)_

_Pansy__... (Lady Marmalade)_

_Hermione__...(hey Hey! uh uh uh uh...)_

_Ginny__...(Oh Oh oooo)_

_Prof. Snape...(baby)_

_Hogwart's__ School... (whole school-0h)_

_McGonagall here..._

_Creole Lady Marmalade Yes-ah...... ___

            The whole hall erupted in cheers! Everyone was ecstatic about the dance; no one expected they would do anything like that! Draco was absolutely stunned… and, of course, highly aroused by what Hermione was wearing, and disturbed by Snape… Looking around at the other guys, he could tell they liked it as well. Professor McGonagall was smiling very happily, and Draco had absolutely no idea why she let the girls do anything like that, until he noticed the punch bowl had been spiked… Professor M was drunk! And, looking around more carefully, he noticed that most of the other teachers were as well! To his disgust, Snape was flirting with Flitwick, and had asked him to join him in Karaoke, and Flitwick agreed! So, now, to everyone's horror, Snape and the tiny Charms teacher were singing and dancing to "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher. Dumbledore was dancing with them, and Minerva McG was shimmying with the song…it was all very disturbing indeed, but Draco couldn't help laughing his ass off, and every muggle-born student in the Hall had wished they'd brought a camera. Glancing at the clock he noticed it was already 11:50, and the ball would be over at 12:00. Nervously glancing around, he finally noticed Hermione coming towards him, and he grabbed her and pushed himself against her. She laughed and he held her close, ready for the last dance… which happened to be a slow dance. To Hermione's pleasure, she had been able to change back into her robes, which were much more comfortable than her previous ensamble. He whispered something naughty in her ear, making her giggle, as they danced through the night…:

_Late at night when all the world is sleeping_

_I stay up and think of you_

_And I wish on a star that somewhere you are_

_Thinking of me too_

_Cause I'm dreaming of you tonight_

_Till tomorrow I'll be holding you tight_

_And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be_

_Than here in my room, dreaming of you and me_

_Wonder if you ever see me_

_And I wonder if you know I'm there_

_If you looked in my eyes_

_Would you see what's inside?_

_Would you even care?_

_I just wanna hold you close _

_But so far all I have are dreams of you_

_So I wait for the day_

_And the courage to say how much I love you_

_Yes… I do…_

_I'll be dreaming of you tonight_

_Till tomorrow I'll be holding you tight_

_And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be_

_Than here in my room, dreaming about you and me_

_Corazón_

_I can't stop dreaming of you_

_No puedo dejar de pensar en ti_

_I can't stop dreaming_

_Cómo te necesito_

_I can't stop dreaming of you_

_Mi amor, cómo te extraño_

_Late at night when all the world is sleeping_

_I stay up and think of you_

_And I still can't believe _

_That you came up to me and said "I love you"_

_I love you too…_

_Now I'm dreaming with you tonight_

_Till tomorrow and for all of my life_

_And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be_

_Than here in my room, dreaming of you endlessly_

_Dreaming of you tonight_

_Till tomorrow I'll be holding you tight_

_And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be_

_Than here in my room_

_I'll be dreaming of you tonight_

_Endlessly_

_And I'll be holding you tight_

_Dreaming...with you...tonight…_

…After the song was over, the two of them stayed dancing, together, until almost everyone was gone. Each of them were lost inside the world of the one they were holding, still having a hard time grasping the fact that they were together. And then, to their disappointment, a few minutes later someone tapped them and awoke them from their starry skies. It was Seamus, again. "Heh, sorry again guys, but COME ON! The party is about to start!" so he ran off, and Hermione and Draco smiled at each other, Hermione leading the way to the Gryffindor common room, Draco behind her telling her to wait up.

            "That was some show you guys put on" Draco said, eyeing her lustfully. "Thanks… I really liked my part! Rapping is soo fun! Hehee! You know, I think I might keep that little number I wore…" she smiled at him wickedly, and he raised his eyebrow. "I think you should definitely keep it…" he whispered in her ear, making her giggle. After roaming around the halls, which was probably not a safe thing to do, considering they probably weren't supposed to be up after hours, they finally found the Gryffindor common room. "Password?" the Fat Lady asked. "Oh shoot! They probably changed it since I left!" Hermione said. Draco shrugged, and suggested that it might be the same. "Well, it's worth a try… Chubby Bunnies!" And, thankfully, that was the password! The Fat Lady smiled at them and revealed the passage.

            Everyone was already inside and sitting on some kind of plushy red or gold furniture, and the fire was roaring wildly. Hermione was happy to see that at least, a decent group of people decided to arrive. She looked over at Draco who was crossing his arms over his chest and deep in thought. She supposed he was probably thinking to himself something like "Memo to self: Alert father about Gryffindor common room and it's comfortableness compared to Slytherin common room, and complain that Slytherin common room has much too many inadequacies…" She laughed inwardly at the thought, and she and Draco set themselves down in the couch, the only space left. "So," said Seamus. "You two have decided to come then…" Malfoy sneered and said "Of course, Finnigan, wouldn't miss it…" Seamus smiled, and announced "The first thing we are going to do is play Truth or Dare." The girls giggled, but the boys groaned, including Draco. "Come on you guys! It'll be fun! Eheheh…" Seamus said suspiciously, with a hint of something in his voice that made everyone think he was probably plotting something or another, but really, he was just trying to rile them all up.

            So, Seamus chose Ginny to pick someone first, and she said "Pansy, truth or dare?" Pansy grinned maliciously and said, "Dare." Ginny giggled, and summoned Hermione for the dare. Hermione told her one in Ginny's ear, and Ginny smiled widely and nodded furiously. Pansy was looking to Ginny quizzically, hoping the 5th year wouldn't suggest anything too…repulsive. "Pansy, I dare you to snog with Neville for at least 5 minutes!" The whole room erupted into a coughing fit, and both Pansy and Neville looked disgusted. "Fine!" Pansy said. "Slytherin's are not one's to back down!" so, she pulled poor Neville by the collar of his robes, and planted a searing kiss on his lips. The room was shouting and hooting, and Hermione and Draco were just laughing so hard it shook the couch, but inside, Hermione felt a bit bad for Neville. Neville was not deepening the kiss, nor was he closing his eyes. In fact, his mouth was open just enough for her, it was a very awkward sight indeed. Neville was glaring daggers at Ginny, who was still laughing anyway. So, after their grueling five minutes, Neville pulled away quickly, and Pansy smirked. "Not bad, Longbottom." She said. "Must be practicing on that toad of yours." Everyone laughed yet again at poor Neville's expense, this was definitely not his night.

            "Alright then, it's my turn since I was last to be picked…who should I choose?" Pansy asked, looking at everyone in the room with eyes that looked like there was definitely something in store for the person she picked. After moments of decision making, her eyes rested on Draco, who gulped. "Draco…truth, or dare?" she asked him semi-sweetly. Her tone reminded him of a tart, you taste it first when it's sweet, but when biting into it, you get the sour taste. Draco turned to Hermione, a pleading look in his eyes. She simply shrugged, and he decided on…"Dare." She grinned maliciously, and snapped her fingers, summoning Blaise and Millicent. Pansy and her crew turned towards Draco and said "I dare you to strip off your robes so you are only wearing your…**silk boxers. After this, I will have Goyle pour chocolate sauce on your abs and have him lick it off!" Things such as "Gross!" "Ew!" "Yuck! Goyle Germs!" and "Nasty!" were said throughout the room, and Draco absolutely refused, saying "No way Pansy! That is beyond disgusting!" Draco looked towards Goyle and got sick when he noticed that Goyle looked very pleased at this predicament, and licked his lips. "No, Draco, don't you remember? This is Wizard's Truth or Dare?, you can't resist!" Draco looked stunned, his eyes wide as saucers. Hermione rested her hand on his shoulder for support, this was disgusting. He whispered something in Hermione's ear again, and she smiled at him, he was planning something again. But… to the other students, there was no way he could back out of it. So, begrudgingly he stripped off his shirt to reveal his toned, flat stomach, and Pansy covered it in chocolate syrup. The girl's, and, much to Draco and Hermione's disgust, Goyle gawked and drooled. "Okay, I am now going to have Goyle and Draco locked together in the closet, and they can't come out until Draco's stomach is devoid of the chocolate, now… I need someone to watch them, to make sure it's done." She closed her eyes, and pointed to Neville, who moved out of the way for Hermione. Pansy opened her eyes and scowled when she realized she had picked Granger. "Fine then, hurry up now, go along!" The three of them entered the tiny closet and closed the door behind them. Hermione muttered "Lumos," so at least now they had some light. "Goyle, I'm sorry, because I know that I am drop dead gorgeous, and you could wash your laundry on my abs, but there is ****no way you are… well _you know… licking that syrup off me!" Goyle looked hurt and muttered stupidly "Oh fine… gosh…durrr" and stalked off to the corner, pouting and crossing his arms. "So." Said Draco. "How are we going to get this off?" Hermione looked at him, and magically charmed a paper toweling, wiping it off. "Why couldn't you do it and say it was Goyle?" he whined. She looked at him disapprovingly, shook her hips and said, "I'm not that kind of girl Draco." He shook his head and they emerged to cheers and hoots, Draco blushed very cutely._**

            About two hours after the closet incident of stupid, mindless dares, they were all beginning to get tired, seeing that it was already 3:30. Seamus was getting so tired he was beginning to show signs of incoherantness, muttering things like "I do wonder, mommy, if the leprechaun ever goes on vacation… (yawn) … to like, get away from the rainbows…" Hermione laughed at him, he was always so proud of his Irish heritage, and always so cute! (A/N- I'm sorry, I just love Seamus a little too much…) Draco was nodding off occasionally as well, and ended up falling asleep on a very paranoid Dean Thomas's lap, who quickly moved. Hermione was also getting tired, even though she was used to staying up late reading. After he began snoring and falling asleep on her shoulders, Hermione shook him off and woke him up. "Mmm… what? Is it time to bake muffins yet mommy?" he said stupidly. "No son, it's time to go home!" she said, this must have woke him, and he sat up on the bed and stretched. Hermione left the common room and said good-bye to everyone, dragging Draco with her.

            When they finally got home, both of them immediately headed to their bed upstairs. Hermione chose to wear a pair of sky blue pajamas with little yellow moons on them, and Draco chose a simple pair of red silk pajamas, and Hermione had to note that he looked sooo sexy with his tousled hair with those PJ's. After brushing his teeth he jumped into bed, and after Hermione washed up, she climbed in as well……………………………………………………………………………..Draco?........................................................................Mmmmm… yeah?.....................................................................................What happened tonight? I mean, with us?...........................................................I don't really know, except……………………………………………… Yeah?...............................................................I think I am falling in love with you…………………………………….

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, causing him to smile pleasantly to himself as well…………. And they fell asleep, dreaming of each other………

A/N- Awwww…!! Tear, Tear, that chapter was a big fluff fest! Eh, I did like it though, it kinda made me feel fuzzy inside J Okay I'm sorry to everyone who is going to end up flaming me because this whole chapter is COMPLETELY out of character, but I don't care! It's my story so there! Anyway, THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERS!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sorry I don't have time to write you all down and thank you individually, but feel free to e-mail me at BlackRose713@aol.com, and I'll mail you for updates! Also I'm sorry I was able to make this chapter 10,000 words, I decided that would be a bit long… so I settled for 6,424. Anyways, Love you all, NOW REVIEW!! Hehe!

Oh and for an additional disclaimer, I have to add that I DO NOT OWN THE LYRICS TO THESE SONGS! The artist's and/or management own them respectfully! The first song was "Dress You Up" by Madonna, the second song was "Lady Marmalade" and that was performed by Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink, and Lil' Kim, and the third song was "Dreaming Of You" by Selena. I know that Madonna owns the first one, and Selena y Los Dinos and Abraham Quintanilla  owns the last one respectfully, and I believe Patty La Belle owns Lady Marmalade lyrics, but I'm not sure, so please don't sue me!

Oh yeah! Review!!


	7. REVAMPED CHAPTER 7 READ TO FINISH STORY

Alright, so it's been over a year (deep apologies everyone) and I decided to re-vamp this chapter. I just wasn't happy with it, and I really, truly want to find closure in this story. I got some excellent ideas from awesome reviewers Cat Standish, DCMMFAN and rikuedlover (thanks so much guys!) that I was so tempted to use but would feel terrible for stealing their ideas. I know this isn't a _real _update, but it WILL be here very very soon, I promise, because I know what's going to happen in the end. I cranked this out in a few hours and I will do the same tomorrow with the last chapter. Anyway, I would highly recommend reading this even though you've read it before, as I said, it's very different and I made minor plot changes that make a huge difference in the end. Enter the newly stylized chapter seven…

HALF-BLOOD PRINCE COMES OUT IN A WEEK! (Sorry, couldn't resist! I know you're all dying along with me here!)

Main Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley

Year at Hogwarts: 6th

Ages: Hermione: 16, Draco: 16

Spoilers: Potentially all 4 books

Genre: Romance, Drama

Rating: PG-13 for adult content

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Harry Potter! (except my story!) J.K. Rowling owns everything!

Here we go; hopefully I can keep you all satisfied.

Chapter Seven: Sex, lies, and… videotape? No, but we have letters…

About nine weeks after the Yule Ball, the relationship between Hermione and Draco was still going strong, or so she had hoped. Hermione awoke that cold Saturday in February to an empty bed. There was a note quickly scrawled on Draco's pillow that simply read, "Went riding." _Hmmm… how vague_, she thought. _Whenever he leaves me notes he usually signs with Love or at least his name, and always tells me when he'll return. Oh well, he must not have had any time._

She quickly threw on a lilac bath robe and a pair of slippers and tumbled downstairs for tea. Everything was rather quiet in the house without Draco there, and many things have happened since Christmas. About a month ago she gave him the only thing she could never take back – her virginity. She knew that they had only been together for two months, and that it was a hasty decision, but he was everything to her.

She had given up talking to just about everyone she had once loved above all others – Ron, Harry, Ginny, all of her friends in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff house. Hermione decided not to make it her fault, as no one but Ron had chosen to visit her either since the Ball. He started coming around about a month ago and showed up at least a dozen times; knocking at the front door, throwing rocks at her and Draco's bay window, but oddly enough she hadn't received post from him in all that time. _He's sure showed up a lot_, she thought, _but wouldn't it have been more sensible to first send post instead?_ In the end she figured it didn't matter – she would not have replied to his post, just as she had not answered the door. It was lonely and cold when Draco wasn't around; he was the only one she had right now and she was attached, she knew it, but he felt the same about her – didn't he?

Suddenly she wasn't so sure anymore. Thinking back on it, things seemed different indeed. He never kissed her goodnight anymore, he never made her breakfast in bed, and they hadn't just sat down for a calm talk in at least three weeks. _Curious_, she thought. Draco had begun acting cold to her around the same time she stopped receiving post from Ron. She wanted to say something but feared that he would get angry or snappish. She thought he loved her, but she _knew_ she loved him, and it irked her to see him so quiet. He had been treating her with somewhat of a courteous detachment, and it was steadily getting to her.

_It's so tiring to constantly sit in front of the TV_, thought Hermione. The majority of her time that was not spent on reading consisted of either watching the BBC or the DIY network. The same bureaucrats whinging on the BBC, and the same do-it-yourself-fix-it projects on the DIY. She had decided to situate herself in one of the chairs and open up _Great Expectations_ by Charles Dickins when the doorbell rang. She hoped it was Draco, but at the same time, something inside her suspected it wasn't.

The bell rang again, and she got up and opened the door.

Ron.

She promptly slammed the door shut in his face, rather impulsively, and put her back to it. Her heart pounded in her chest, breathing frantically. She had long hoped he would leave her alone.

He knocked this time.

"Go away Ronald, I do not want to see you. I haven't answered the door once since you came around, and I urge you to make a permanent absence."

"Hermione, listen to me. I have already sent Pig over at least ten times with post. I've been so worried about you. What happened to you, Hermione? When did you stop caring about everyone else but yours-"

"I never got any letters Ron!" She shouted. He just wouldn't get the point, would he? Every time she talked to him she got increasingly more irritated. "And I don't have time for – "

"Don't have time? What's so important? He's not home, Hermione. There's no one to occupy you."

Was he spying on them? How could he possibly know of Draco's whereabouts?

"How do you-" she began but he cut her off.

"Look, I can explain. Just open the bloody door alright?"

She eased her shoulders and pulled back the dead bolt. _Oh, god, I'm letting him into my house, what does he want to say? _She was getting increasingly anxious as the moments ticked by. _He said he'd explain, it can't hurt, right?_ She slowly opened the door.

He was wearing a thick, charcoal gray wool cloak over a green jumper and black trousers. Bits of snowflake had fallen into his hair and his dark blue eyes were clouded. He had always been tall and slim, but he almost looked as if he'd grown. It had probably been the amount of time she'd spent avoiding to see him, she reasoned. He held out a slender hand to her, but made no move to enter.

He sighed. "Invite me in, Hermione," he pleaded.

She looked skeptical, but acquiesced. "Come in, Ron." He smiled faintly at her, although he seemed almost afraid to look her in the eye. _That face could always break a heart_, she thought. It almost pained her to think of all of the trouble she'd caused him lately. _Wait a minute Granger, _she thought. Trouble _she _caused _him_? He's the one who's been sufficiently stalking her!_ You're wrong_, said another, less welcome voice in her head_. Where has your "brilliant mind" gone?_ _You know he's only coming around because he obviously still cares!_

"You had better sit down," she said, and motioned to the chair opposite the couch. She curled up and looked up at him, steeping her tea bag in her steaming mug. "Well? Say what you want, I really don't have any interest in looking at you." He didn't care if she wanted to look at him or not, he forced her to by looking her in the eye as she coaxed words out of him.

"Well, I guess I really don't know where to start," he began, rubbing the back of his neck which had become quite heated. It looked really difficult for him to say what he intended. "I suppose I could question you once again, did you get a single one of my last letters?"

"No, I swear to you, Ron. I received none. Not even one."

"Perhaps… perhaps Malfoy hid them from you. I'm guessing either because he didn't want you to keep in contact with me, or he didn't approve of the content of them. I'm sure he's read them, after all, he's probably done everything in his power to keep me from telling you, I expect."

Her curiosity – and anxiety - were piqued now to breaking point. "First of all, why would he hide the letters from you? He never seemed keen on reading them before. Second, what are you keeping from me?"

"In time I will tell you everything, but for the moment, I have a hunch…" he said, and got up from his chair. There was a porcelain jar on the coffee table between them, where Draco usually kept his paperwork from his father. Ron took the lid off the jar and pulled out a locked cedar box. He got his wand out, ready to _Alohomora_ the lock when Hermione protested; telling him magic was not to be used in the house. He shrugged, not listening to her and spelled the box open anyway. Inside was a thick wad of rolled parchment, already apparently read and tied neatly with twine. She drew in a sharp breath, preparing for the worst as he relaxed on the chair and tossed the letters aside on the table.

"I guess I should tell you what I know since I brought you this far. I'm sorry Hermione, I didn't want you wrapped up in this, but not telling you hurt me even more. Do you think I could stand thinking about you so happy with him and denying my own feelings? I knew that you would never listen to me or care to hear what I had to say, even though I always thought you were the closest thing to a soul mate I ever had."

At these words Hermione's heart seemed to sink into her being and her snapped up to look at him. All of a sudden she felt extremely guilty for how she had treated them. In the end, she supposed that although his outburst at the Ball was uncalled for, he had done it because he loved her. Not as a lover, but as a best friend looking out for her best interest.

"Instead you stayed with him," he continued. "When I've been here for you for so much longer. _'Does it matter?'_ I'd ask myself_. 'Does any of it even matter anymore?'_ I gave up for a while, and didn't come for you for an entire month after the Ball. Until one night, about a month ago, Harry and I got a hold of an old and rather large bottle of Firewhiskey, courtesy of Fred and George by owl. In our drunken and elated states we devised a plan to play a trick on the Slytherins, for old time's sake," he decided to ignore Hermione's indignant _hmph!_ about the Firewhiskey and continued on. "We got the password to the dungeons from a first year; anyway, we were walking down the stairs…"

_ …Flashback… (enter groovy chime music)_

"Grrrreat plan Harry, thissss'll realllllly blow em out of the water!" Ron stated drunkenly as he and Harry walked swayingly down the steps towards the Slytherin dungeons, trying to ignore the water droplets dripping from the moldy stone walls. They had stolen a simple sleeping draft from Snape's private stockroom and planned the attack for about two a.m., which was when they assumed everyone would be asleep. The plan, which admittedly only sounded good because they were smashed, was to slip the potion down Goyle's throat when he was asleep to ensure he'd stay that way, place a _Wingardium Leviosa _spell on him to make him weightless, and then strategically place him in Crabbe's bed, a predicament which would be quite difficult to explain to their fellow Slytherins in the morning. The walk was pretty far, a decent distance at that, and when they finally reached the stone wall they waited a while, hoping for an oblivious First Year to come along and give them the password. This was quite foolish of them, considering it was two in the morning and they had assumed everyone to be asleep. Luckily, though, a little towheaded boy came along in their wake.

"Heyyy, kid!" Ron said, pretending to scratch his chest to conceal the Gryffindor badge. "I'm Head Boy, and since -" Ron began, but the boy interrupted him, probably out of nerves. He apparently didn't notice Ron's increasingly slurring voice.

"Please, sir!" he squeeked, "I was only just going to the loo! I know I'm not supposed to be out this late, but I really can't hold it much-"

"Aaalright, kid, don't pisssss your pants in antipitation!" he hiccoughed and giggled at his own, rather lame, joke. "I'll mmmaaaake a deallll witth yyou. I don't uuuusually come around to your cooommons and I need the passsssword for… for… offficccial HOGWARTS busssiness! If youuu give it to me, I'll let this slide." Harry looked at him with huge eyes, holding back laughter and thinking that this kid must really have to go if he didn't notice anything strange about Ron's behaviour. Harry was, however, quite trashed as well.

"Ummm…" the little boy looked down at the ground, as if deep in thought rather to give him the password or not. "It's 'tourniquet', but you didn't hear it from me!" and he scurried off.

"Exxxcellllennnt," both Ron and Harry said in unison as they recited the password and the door opened, creaking slightly. Ron observed the rough stone walls and green lamps suspended on chains, vividly remembered being here once before in Second Year. He and Harry had taken Polyjuice Potion to transform themselves into Crabbe and Goyle and unsuccessfully trick Malfoy into giving them information. There was very little light inside, but they could see shadows of two figures in the corner of the room. The Slytherin Common Room was a decent size, so it took them a while to hear it what was happening. "Ssshh… I heeear something," Harry whispered, jabbing his finger at Ron's lips to quiet him. They both found Harry's gesture quite amusing, but surprisingly were able to hold their laughter.

"Draco, honey, do you think she suspects?" a female voice asked raspily, obviously trying to sound overly sexy. They knew they heard that voice many times before, but it was usually in a biting or sarcastic tone.

"There is no way that she could possibly know. I pretend as if nothing between us has changed, even though there really wasn't much there to begin with," Draco replied smoothly. Ron leaped forward in anger but Harry restrained him.

"Shhhh, lisssten," said Harry. "We haaaave to know if he's chheeating on Herrmiiiione."

"Then why don't you just dispose of her pathetic, sorry little Mudblood arse and come with me? You said yourself that I'm much better looking anyhow, besides, I'm rich too. Pureblood of course. I have much more to offer, and I've been promised to you by our parents since birth. Why won't you just sleep with me already? We've already snogged senseless the past few weeks since your return."

"Blaise, sweetie," he said, very bitter sweet and sarcastically, "you're _forgetting_. I have to live with her, spend every waking _moment_ with her. Don't act like I could just break it off so abruptly, besides," he paused for a moment, "It would be total hell to live the last four months with her screaming at me every day. And that 'promise' you speak of is not magically bound."

Harry and Ron couldn't take it anymore, they were both fuming. They stormed towards the site of the sound and magicked the lights on. Lying, topless on the couch, were Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy.

"You motherfucker!" Ron screamed. He seemed to come to his senses as the situation played out before him.

"I knew it, the WHOLE TIME, I KNEW you were unfaithful, and now you're just going to have to pay the price!" Ron lunged at him, and this time Harry didn't stop him, but Blaise did. Ron could not hit a girl, even if it was a slimy Slytherin.

"Weasley…" Draco said, breathing heavily and replacing his shirt, "first of all, I did NOT sleep with Blaise, and you better not tell ANY of this to Hermione, or I swear to god, I'll have you eliminated with one word, and you better fucking believe that."

"And what in hell are you going to do to stop me?" Ron asked. "Listen, I'm not afraid of you any more Malfoy. I'm not going to listen to your fake promises or you're empty threats. I've grown since then. I WILL be writing to Hermione about this, and you better bloody believe _that_."

And Harry and Ron stormed out, leaving Draco standing scorned behind them, digging his nails into his fists and watching Blaise disappear up the dormitories.

_ …End Flashback… (enter groovy chimes again)_

Ron relaxed and looked at Hermione. He had nothing to say, he supposed she'd been through enough already anyhow. She didn't say anything, make any noise, or any attempt to move, at all for that matter. Just sat curled up and stared slightly to her right, yet breathing heavily.

"I think you'd better go," she finally said, and motioned with her index finger to the door. He straightened up and walked away, leaving the letters on the table.

He approached the door and waited for her to speak, but she made no sound.

He shut the door and she sat in her couch and cried, just cried. She didn't know how long it had been, or what had happened. She didn't want to have to be forced to think or comprehend any of the words he had recited. It couldn't be true, it just _couldn't. _And even if he had said those things he didn't mean them – no, Draco loved her too dearly to do this to her. To hurt her in any way was his besetting sin.

She tried to find comfort in the fact that he _hadn't _slept with Blaise, but she couldn't. She sat and contemplated what he did to her, wishing it would be only that easy for her to get him back.

But it wasn't easy; she could never do that to another human being, especially one that she thought she had such a bond with.

Because she loved him so much that she couldn't bear to hurt him, and it just wouldn't be right to lie to herself and tell herself that he didn't matter, when in reality he was _everything _that mattered.

**Everything.**

The thought shook her to the bones, realizing that nothing she'd had with anyone had ever been as strong as what she had with him. Realizing that even her bond with Harry and Ron, a real friendship, an undeniably real friendship couldn't compare to this. She had to find a way to either make him love her and come back, or to get him back with revenge, and neither sounded very sweet at the moment. She would have to choose between staying with him and having a false hope that he would grow to love and understand her and never see Blaise again, or lose a fake sense of security by dumping him, yet knowing he wasn't there to hurt her.

And at the moment the only thing she wanted was an absolution and a way to go.

Until the door opened, and _he_ walked in.

A/N – Wow, I bet that whole chapter was totally unexpected, wasn't it? I'm sorry you guys, I really am, but I also really wanted to go a different way with this story. I always thought this would be the story where it would all be fun and fluff and games, but I just had to try this. If you totally hated this story and want to forget you ever read it, then by all means do so. The next chapter will be the end, well, _my_ end. Someday I may write an alternative chapter seven that wraps everything up and keeps the fluff, or I may not. For now, thank you to all of my fantastic reviewers. You rock my socks off, and I would never have even considered finishing this story without you all. I WILL have this updated IMMEDIATELY, I know what I'm going to do and how to do it. I love you all, and I could never have finished this story if it wasn't for you 3.


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